


Baggage Claim

by DJKitsune



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Lucas, Clueless Ethan, Frotting, Lucas is a manchild, M/M, Masturbation, Mentions of Eveline, Mentions of Mia Winters, One-Sided Attraction, Sounding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2018-10-14 20:27:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 45,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10543840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJKitsune/pseuds/DJKitsune
Summary: Still working undercover for a secret organization, Lucas Baker hunts down the only other last man standing in order to forcibly make a twisted arrangement with him, sending them on a trip across the country to escape their pursuers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so feel free to point out any errors! I also went way into alternate universe on this one as it takes place after Eveline's death when the Baker residence has been almost completely destroyed. Since we've no idea what Lucas will be doing in NaH yet (and likely Ethan won't be back), this will pretty much be extreme canon divergence.  
> I also really like Mia and Zoe, so of course they're still out there in the world. Mia is a BAMF and took out Evie before being rescued, and Zoe will likely pop up somewhere in the future ;)  
> Title was taken from a Miranda Lambert song.

Ethan bolted down the dilapidated hallway, Lucas racing full speed after him. The son of the Baker family was not the most adept at fighting, preferring instead to sneak up on his victims and knock them unconscious for the purpose of trapping them in his twisted games and puzzle rooms. This, however, was a terrifying change of demeanor in the young man who was usually so relaxed and full of himself. Lucas' pale blue eyes were wild with unconstrained rage, his lips pulled back in a grimace of pure hatred. With his hood pulled back he looked like an actual corpse come to life; a real live zombie. Gaunt-faced and frail, his skin took on a sickly pallor, his hair thinning and sticking out at odd angles all over his head. His screams took on a high-pitched note that wavered awkwardly as he chased his prey down.  
  
Scared out of his wits Ethan dodged around a corner, slicing his arm open on a jagged piece of wood, but he didn't dare stop, didn't dare to look back at the monster that was closing in on him surprisingly quickly. Lucas' haggard breath was echoing in his ears right behind behind him. The Baker son was a bit taller than him, his longer legs pulling him closer and closer...  
  
"Gotcha now, you son of a bitch!"  
  
Sheer horror gripped Ethan as long, bony fingers reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Lucas used the last of his energy to push his feet off the ground and lunge out at the other man, his weight carrying him forward into an awkward tackle. Wrapping his arms tightly around Ethan he body slammed him down onto the cold hard flooring. He quickly clambered up to straddle him, one icy hand gripping tightly onto his neck, his other hand balled up into a fist, drawn back and ready to strike.  
  
"Fuck you, ya little shit!"  
  
Lucas brought his fist forward, punching Ethan's left cheek, knocking him to the side. He struck him again and again, shouting obscenities as he continued to pummel him into the ground.  
  
"Fuckin' bitch! You ain't gonna be such a pretty-boy by the time _I_ git done with ya!"  
  
Ethan pulled desperately at the powerful hand that had a death grip on his throat. It seemed that despite his lack of physical prowess, Lucas had in fact possessed the same superhuman strength as the rest of the Baker family.  
  
It was a desperate knee to the groin in his pathetic struggle that temporarily stunned Lucas enough for Ethan to shove him off onto the floor and get up to start running again. His throat felt like it was on fire, and he wheezed and coughed while stumbling onward. Lucas was left rolling around on the floor, eyes shut tight and teeth clenched in pain, both hands gripping his crotch. Of course he wasn't down for long. In no time flat he was getting to his feet and charging in the direction Ethan had run.  
  
Ethan had ducked into a nearby closet in the darkened section of a decaying hallway, crouching down on the floor and covering his mouth in a last ditch effort to silence his harsh and ragged breathing. He hurt all over, and if Lucas were to find him now he'd surely be dead. He couldn't possibly hold out against another attack.  
  
He heard Lucas' heavy footfalls rapidly getting louder and louder. He held his breath. Two more feet and Lucas would be at the door. He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, only to release it moments later as the mad thunder of Lucas' shoes overshot the closet door and faded away down the next corridor.  
  
Panting heavily in the dark little room, Ethan took the time needed to apply some first aid and plan his next move. With both of the Baker parents out of his way he now only needed to deal with the siblings. Zoe, as far as he could tell, was the only member of the family left who'd not fallen under Eveline's control. She genuinely had tried to help Ethan throughout his entire nightmare, though where she'd gone after he'd taken Mia back to the tanker was a mystery. Now with Mia missing yet again he was right back where he'd started, in the nightmare house, desperately trying to retrace his steps. Unfortunately for him, Lucas was still around, and apparently batshit crazy with rage at the fact that he'd managed to figure out and beat all of his traps and games.  
  
Realizing he couldn't just stay in his hiding place forever, he reluctantly opened the creaky old door and peered around cautiously. It seemed the coast was clear. He crept out into the hall and headed quickly back to the open room that he'd unlocked with the dog head reliefs. Taking off at a full on sprint, he fled past Zoe's trailer and hopped the fence of the decrepit old Baker residence.  
  
Not stopping until he reached the salt mines, Ethan continued down the seemingly endless corridors lit up in an eerie fluorescent light, until he came to a dead end. A broken minecar and some piles of rubble were the only things around. He paused to catch his breath. While he was running from the mansion he swore he could hear someone shouting to him from a low-flying helicopter outside, but it could also have just been his imagination playing tricks on him again.  
  
" _Boo!_ "  
  
Before he had the chance to turn around, Ethan was roughly grabbed from behind and had a rag shoved over his nose and mouth. He struggled like crazy to pull away but it was too late. He could already feel consciousness slipping from him.  
  
"Shh, shhh, it's okay buddy, just relax. You just take a nice little nap now, okay?"  
  
Ethan recognized the smug southern accent whispering closely in his ear before he fell into calming darkness...  
  
\-----------------------------  
  
"Gotta give ya credit, boy. Ya ain't as dumb as you look!"  
  
Lucas crouched over his victim and smirked. Ethan was lying unconscious at his feet. The twisted son of the Baker family cocked his head to the side as he studied him before viciously backhanding him across the face. He slapped him three more times, scowling down at him.  
  
"Stupid bitch! Goddammit, how'd you manage to fuck up all of my hard work, huh?" He snorted and shook his head, pointing directly in Ethan's face. " _Man..._ You, my friend, are one _tough_ son of a bitch!"  
  
Lucas whipped out some rope and made quick work of tying Ethan's wrists behind his back. Despite Ethan lacking the strength and viciousness of the rest of the Baker family, he was incredibly resilient and seemingly made of steel. The Baker son whistled down at him and shook his head in admiration, a gentle smirk across his lips.  
  
"You know what, Ethan?" He moved to straddle him with awkward, jerky movements, "I _respect_ you. City boy like you come to our swamp out here in the backwoods, raising hell, tearing our shit up, settin' fires... _Shit._ You weren't even afraid of that crazy lil' bitch, Eveline, were ya?"  
  
He blinked rapidly, his expression changing to one of pleading, and he leaned in close to Ethan's face.  
  
"Now, I wonder..." he whispered, "If maybe, _just_ maybe... You could help me?"  
  
When he got no response, Lucas sat up and smiled. He slowly moved to wrap his hand loosely around Ethan's throat, but he didn't tighten his grip. Instead he looked down and blinked in wonder at the contrast of their skin. His hand was a deathly yellow-grey color, veins poking out everywhere, blood caked on his chipped and overgrown nails, while Ethan's neck was warm and had a healthy pinkish glow.  
  
Leaning in even closer, Lucas cautiously lifted a trembling hand to Ethan's face. He awkwardly ran his fingers slowly down his cheek and back down to his neck, marveling at how soft and silky smooth his skin was. Nervously looking over his shoulder he quickly searched the cave before diverting his attention back to the man lying unconscious beneath him.  
  
He ran his thumb over Ethan's lips, then combed his fingers through his hair a few times.  
  
"You sure are a pretty-boy, ain't ya? _Man_... If I had a face and a body like yours I'd be gettin' pussy every night."  
  
Lucas stared intently at Ethan for a few more minutes before standing up and hoisting the other man over his shoulder. He tugged his hood back over his head with his other hand and carried Ethan out of the mines.  
  
\---------------------  
  
Ethan awoke to the smell of rain and marshland. His head was spinning and he felt heavy and groggy.  
  
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"  
  
He jolted awake at the familiar quote and jerked his head up, frantically searching for the owner of the voice. There, leaning casually against Ethan's car with his arms crossed, was none other than Lucas Baker. The other man was smirking down at him, his unearthly pale eyes locked intently with his.  
  
"What's the matter, boy? You scared?" Lucas laughed mockingly when Ethan struggled to get up, only to find that he was quite thoroughly tied up and leaning against an old rusted out oil bin. Lucas put a hand out in a calming gesture and raised his eyebrows at him as he pulled away from the car and slowly came closer.  
  
"Alright, ya dumbshit, calm down... I ain't gonna hurt ya no more. I think you've had enough."  
  
"Fuck you!" Ethan was already in a panic and now his temper was rising, "Where's Mia?!"  
  
Lucas stopped and cocked his head, an over-exaggerated look of puzzlement on his face.   
  
"The hell are you talkin' about, Ethan? Didn't you know?" He came closer and crouched down in front of the terrified man, "She's gone, buddy. They came and took her away in that helicopter."  
  
"What are you talking about? Who took her?!"  
  
"Umbrella Corporation, of course," Lucas grinned, " _Her_ nightmare is over! Now let's talk about _you_..."  
  
"What?! When did they take her? Where did they go?"  
  
"Ethan, you dipshit! They were just here a couple hours ago! You ran right under 'em like a dumb dog!" Lucas laughed in his face again and shook his head, "Guess I scared ya too much, huh, Ethan? You were so concerned with runnin' outta here with your tail between your legs you didn't even notice 'em callin' for ya! Fuckin' _pussy_..."  
  
He watched in smug amusement as the other man stared down at the ground in shock. Poor Ethan. Poor, stupid little Ethan.  
  
" _So..._ " Lucas snapped him out of his thoughts, "What are _we_ gonna do now, hmm?" He stood up and pointed at Ethan, " _I'll_ tell ya what we're gonna do, Ethan. We're gonna get the hell outta here, just you and me. And _you're_ gonna help me."  
  
"No! No, _fuck_ that! You tortured me! You tried to kill me, tried to kill Mia and Zoe! You're a fucking murderer!"  
  
Lucas closed his eyes and turned his head away in irritation, kicking at the gravel road like a petulant child.  
  
"Listen you shithead, I ain't got nothin' to apologize for! Everything was _fine_ before that little bitch Evie showed up!" He whirled on Ethan, eyes wild with rage, "Your precious wife was the one who brought that- that _thing_ here in the first place! Me and Dad were just tryin' to help so we brought 'em home, and _now_ look what happened!"  
  
"Bullshit!" Ethan countered, "You're not under Eveline's influence anymore, I saw the documents myself! You killed all those people yourself without a fucking shred of remorse you sick fuck!"  
  
Lucas' eyes went wide. He stared down at Ethan, a flood of thoughts and emotions going through his head at once. His first instinct was to just kill the man and dispose of the evidence, but he soon realized that he needed Ethan to help him if he were to get the hell out of Dulvey. He was the only one who had any sort of a clue about the incidents that had taken place, and he was already familiar with the Molded and how the infection had affected he and the rest of his family. Lucas' appearance alone was pretty unsettling and he'd surely have a difficult time trying to navigate around in public. Besides that issue, there was also the fact that he'd never left home and had no idea how to survive on his own...  
  
Thinking quickly, he made up an excuse on the spot.  
  
"Not my fuckin' fault, you pencil-dick! I had to keep that ruse up so she wouldn't find out. It was bad enough with Mom and Dad gettin' on my case every chance they got, and I ain't got no idea what the hell Zoe was doin' all this time."  
  
"Your sister was trying to find a cure for your family. You were just getting off on killing people." Ethan glared up at him.  
  
Lucas was silent for a long while, his back to the other man. When he finally spoke again, his voice was dangerously low and quiet.  
  
"We've all got our fetishes, Ethan..." He chuckled and slowly turned back to face him, "Now let's get back to business. The people who I'm working for are probably gonna be pretty interested in you in a few hours, and I know they're gonna be lookin' for me, too. If Umbrella gets a hold of me I ain't gonna be nothin' more than a test subject, and I'm guessing you ain't gonna fare much better if either of these fuckers get a hold of you." He leaned back against Ethan's car and folded his arms. "Now I've got the strength and the know-how to get past these guys. Not to mention, I already know a hell of a lot more than you ever will about all this shit."  
  
"Then what the fuck do you need me for?!" Ethan's temper was on the rise again. "Just let me go!"  
  
"And let you go runnin' off doing somethin' stupid like blabbin' about all this to the first person you see?" Lucas closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "Sorry buddy, that ain't happenin'. We'd both be deader'n a door nail in no time flat if I did that. _No_... No, you're comin' with me," he pointed his finger at Ethan again, "Now I ain't the best in social situations, an' I sure as shit ain't the prettiest one between us, you get me? You're gonna be the face of this here operation, but I'm the one pullin' the strings, understand?"  
  
"And what operation would that be?", Ethan asked, voice dripping with contempt.  
  
Lucas merely smiled and stepped back from the car door, Ethan's keys jangling in his fingers. He raised his eyebrows and made an inviting gesture toward the driver's seat.  
  
"Whaddaya say, _partner_? Wanna get the fuck outta this shithole?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucas is such a hillbilly nerd~


	2. Chapter 2

Ethan sat dumbfounded in the driver's seat of his old beat up white muscle car and stared straight ahead through the windshield. Lucas sat back in the passenger seat, poking around on his phone and humming a little tune off-key.   
  
_'How the fuck did this even happen?'_  
  
"Let's go, boy. What's the holdup?"  
  
He turned to look over at Lucas. The psychotic man was calmly watching him with that ever-present smirk on his lips. Only moments prior had Ethan remembered relenting in a quiet mumbled agreement to Lucas' plan before being swiftly untied and escorted to the car. The keys were pressed into his hand, but not before Lucas grabbed him by the front of the shirt and hoarsely whispered a few death threats into his ear, the stubble on his chin scraping against his cheek as he did so.  
  
"Did you have anything else you wanted to bring?", Ethan quietly asked, "We're not coming back here again."  
  
"Good fuckin' riddance! Hell no I ain't got nothin' else I need. Got my phone, got my laptop, I'm good." He irritably pulled his hood back up and sulked in his seat. "You just drive, Ethan."  
  
The other man sighed and started the engine. It roared to life after a couple of tries.   
  
"Any idea where we're going? You're the one with the plan."  
  
Lucas flew into a rage, sitting up in his seat and screaming in Ethan's face. "Just drive!"  
  
Ethan looked back at the road and stepped on the gas, irritation written all over his face. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Lucas staring intently at him. Deciding it would be best to just keep quiet and do what the spoiled Baker son wanted, he continued on down the old dirt path, the sun rising behind them.  
  
\----------------------------  
  
"Take a left up ahead..."  
  
Ethan glanced over at Lucas who was tapping away on his phone. The mumbled order was the first he'd spoken in roughly two hours. They'd stopped for gas earlier, Lucas insisting on physically escorting Ethan into the old run down store in order to take a piss and buy some snacks. He'd forced Ethan into the bathroom with him, regardless of the stares they received, in order for them to piss side by side, Lucas closest to the door. It was obvious he didn't trust Ethan at all.  
  
Little Debbie wrappers, a crumpled bag of chips and an empty bottle of Mt. Dew were tossed carelessly onto the floor of Ethan's car after Lucas had eaten his fill. The only other thing Ethan got as a response to anything was a loud, poorly muffled burp.  
  
"Mia's fine. They gave her another serum. She's being relocated to the other side of the country."   
  
Ethan whirled around and stared wide-eyed at him.  
  
"What?! What do you mean? Who told you that?"  
  
"None of your goddamn business, Ethan! She's safe, ain't that what you wanted all along?"  
  
"Please, Lucas, let me talk to her!"  
  
"No can do, buddy. You ain't never gonna see her again. She's startin' a new life somewheres else, an' you ain't gonna be a part of it." Lucas leaned in close and gave him a mocking smile and waggled his eyebrows. "It's just you an' me now, loverboy."  
  
Ethan pulled over and put the car in park. He put both hands on the top of the steering wheel and dropped his head onto it in complete and utter defeat. Every reality he'd ever known had just been shattered to bits. What was he supposed to believe anymore?  
  
Lucas watched Ethan with amusement. He gave a low chuckle and leaned back in his seat. "So... Should I still call you 'Daddy'?" He waited for a response, and upon not getting one, he continued anyway. "The hell old are you anyway, Ethan? Twelve?"  
  
Ethan didn't move. His eyes remained closed as he leaned his face against the wheel.  
  
"You got that baby-face goin' on." Lucas carried on his one-sided conversation, "Them big 'ol puppy eyes and them pouty lips. You look like a little bitch to me."  
  
Met with complete silence, Lucas' amusement faded. It was no fun when they didn't fight back. He snorted and leaned back over toward the passenger side window and stared forlornly out into the woods surrounding them.  
  
After a few more minutes of cold silence, Lucas finally spoke up. He gave Ethan a sidelong glance and quietly mumbled. "Better keep movin'. We're just sittin' ducks out here ya know."  
  
Another few moments of silence later and Ethan reluctantly sat up with a long, drawn-out sigh and put the car back into drive.  
  
\--------------------------  
  
Evening was already upon them by the time they reached the state line, and night was rapidly approaching. Lucas looked out in wonder at the city lights in the distance. Ethan glanced over at him, and for the first time since he'd entered Louisiana, he allowed himself a tiny smirk. The Baker son had likely never been out to the city that often, despite the fact that New Orleans was one of the bigger cities in the US. They were now entering Arkansas, though it was still not clear where exactly Lucas was leading them. They obviously couldn't go back to Ethan's apartment in Houston. If the place hadn't been searched by now, it likely would be soon.  
  
They'd been driving for a couple hours more before they finally arrived in Little Rock. Ethan was grateful for the city lights and crowds of people and cars, as it reminded him of safety and civilization again. It also served as a nice distraction for Lucas, who'd been staring at him nonstop while his phone was charging as they were driving along the darkened highways.  
  
After his initial excitement at all the people and lights of the city, Lucas had been glancing from his phone to the street signs and back again. It was clear he was looking for something.  
  
"Turn up here and then make a right at the next stop."  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes at the command, but he'd agreed to this bargain after all.   
  
Roughly ten minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a pretty nice looking hotel. Ethan glanced up at the glittering towers of the Marriott and raised an eyebrow. "Lucas... What the fuck, I thought we weren't supposed to be attracting any attention?"  
  
Lucas gave him a sly grin and unfastened his seatbelt. "We ain't, dumbass. We'll blend in a lot easier in a huge crowd than if we were to stop at some one-horse town motel in the middle of nowhere."  
  
"Wait, we're stopping _here_ for the night? I don't have the money for this!"  
  
"Well tough shit, Ethan, because _I_ do! You can just stay in the car for all I care." He laughed at the deadpan irritated glare he got in return.  
  
"Where did you get the money for a place like this? You could have just ditched the fuck right out of Dulvey at any time with that kind of cash, why stick around?"  
  
In a flash Ethan found himself pinned to his seat by a bony hand on his neck. Lucas got right in his face and hissed at him.  
  
"You shut the fuck up, boy! You said you were snoopin' around those reports, you know damn well I was under contract to stay in exchange for them gettin' that little bitch outta my head! _They_ know the shit hit the fan, _they_ know she's dead an' gone, and they sure as hell know that I needed to get the hell outta there before them other assholes find out about me... And to an extent, _you!_ "  
  
He shoved Ethan back hard and pulled his hand away, clambering awkwardly back over to the passenger side to open his door and get out of the car. He slammed the door so hard it shook the whole car before he marched around to the driver's side and yanked Ethan's door open.  
  
"Well? You gonna get the hell out or do you need me to force you out?"  
  
Ethan got out and locked the doors, then stood by questioningly. "What am _I_ supposed to do, just start walking somewhere?"  
  
Lucas had already started moodily stalking toward the hotel when he looked back in surprise at him. Giving Ethan a look that reminded him of a mother getting exasperated at a small child, he shook his head, marched over and yanked him by the arm toward the building.  
  
"You are one dumb son of a bitch...", he muttered under his breath.  
  
\------------------  
  
Ethan carefully recited the fake names Lucas had instructed him to give to the concierge, along with the fake IDs and signatures, then they were on their way up to the seventh floor to their room. Upon entering, Lucas spread his arms out wide and flopped down on one of the soft twin beds.  
  
"Oooh, baby! _This_ is livin'!"  
  
Ethan looked around. It was a pretty spacious room, very clean and executive in style. He pulled the shades back and glanced out at the twinkling lights of the city. Hard to believe that only several hours ago he'd been crawling through filthy corridors and stepping over rotting corpses in a backwoods Louisiana bayou...  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the TV being turned on. Lucas was flipping through the channels, completely oblivious to the loud volume.  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes. "I'm going to take a shower."  
  
Lucas merely nodded his head and waved him off, all of his attention focused on the television.  
  
The hot water was a blessing to Ethan as he stepped into his first shower in days. Lathering himself up he watched the blood and grime wash away down the drain. Under the proper lighting he could now very clearly see his stapled arm. It was even more gruesome looking than he'd remembered. He shampooed his hair, washing the oil and muck out of it and cleansing his scalp thoroughly. With a sigh he reluctantly shut the water off and stepped out, toweling his hair dry before wrapping a clean towel around his waist. He would need to see about some new clothes soon...  
  
His ears perked up when he heard the sound of a woman moaning pleasurably in the next room.  
  
"What the _fuck?!_ "  
  
Storming out the door, Ethan searched the room only to find a porn movie playing loudly on the TV, and Lucas masturbating furiously to it. The other man had his tongue poking from the side of his mouth as he moaned along with the woman on screen, his hooded blue eyes clouded over with lust.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud, Lucas, _really?_ " Ethan grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. "You want the entire hotel to find out where we are?!"  
  
"Hey, hey, hey, _HEY!_ Ethan! Don't you fuckin' shut that off!" He grunted and panted his way to a climax, his orgasm squirting out of him and landing all over the bed. He flopped back into the pillows, a heaving boneless mass with a big stupid grin of satisfaction across his cracked lips. He'd made a mess of his pants, as well as the once clean comforter of his bed. "Hooo~ Now _that's_ what I call relief!", he groaned, still lazily watching the movie.  
  
Ethan shut the TV off in disgust. "That was _not_ something I fucking needed to see..."  
  
Lucas simply puckered his lips at him mockingly and laughed when the other man shook his head in irritation and went over to the other bed.  
  
Sitting on the side of his bed, Ethan looked around the cozy, dimly-lit hotel room. No peeling wallpaper, no rotting human flesh on hooks, no mummified animal and baby corpses, no black mold covering the walls and doors. Just peace, quiet, and cleanliness. His ears were ringing with the silence in the room. Only the sounds of the air conditioner and Lucas' soft panting as he came down from his climax could be heard.  
  
 _And speaking of...  
_  
Ethan felt someone watching him and his eyes darted up. Sure enough, there was Lucas, still laying back in his bed but with his head turned completely in Ethan's direction. He was staring at him again. Ethan had enough of it.  
  
"What?", he snapped.  
  
Lucas kept staring at him for a little longer before finally smirking and turning his head toward the ceiling. He laughed quietly to himself.  
  
Ethan was not amused. "What's your problem, anyway? Why do you always look at me like that?"  
  
His question was met with silence. Lucas had stopped laughing and had folded his hands together while he continued to stare at the point where the wall met the ceiling in front of him.  
  
They both sat in silence for what seemed an eternity before Ethan spoke up again. "You want a shower?"  
  
Lucas whipped his head around to look at him and sneered. "What you tryin' to say, boy? You sayin' I smell? Huh?!"  
  
Ethan put his hands up in a calming gesture. "Whoa, ease up, alright? I just asked. Figured you might feel a little better."  
  
In all actuality, Lucas _did_ smell. To high heaven. A heady mix of BO, blood and piss, rotting meat, halitosis, and now sex. It wasn't at all pleasant. There were several times they'd driven by a car wash and Ethan had fantasized about tying Lucas to his seat and driving the car through with the passenger side window open. Anything to hose him off a little. He'd never get that smell out of his car.  
  
Lucas glowered at him some more before snorting at him in contempt and looking away again. "Why don't _you_ go the fuck to _bed_ , Ethan?"  
  
Not a bad idea on its own, but the more Ethan thought about actually trying to sleep in the same room as an unstable murderer like Lucas fucking Baker, well, he began to lose interest. Unfortunately he had no idea on how to bring the issue up politely, especially seeing as Lucas was in another of his moods again.  
  
"Aren't you going to try to get some sleep, too? I'm sure we've got another long day of driving ahead of us tomorrow."  
  
"You mean _you_ got a long day of driving ahead of us. I'm just the navigator, remember?" Lucas gave him a sly wink before sitting up in his bed and fumbling in his pocket. "By the way, that reminds me...", he pulled out a small length of rope, "I got a special bedtime surprise for you."  
  
He stood up and walked over to Ethan, fully aware that the other man would instantly panic. As soon as Ethan tried to jump off the bed and bolt for the door Lucas grabbed hold of his arm and practically threw him back down onto the bed, yanking his wrists up over his head and tying them tightly to the headboard. He straddled the half-naked man, looking his well toned abs up and down, his creepy pale eyes roving all over his body. Leaning in he inhaled the scent of soap and shampoo and hummed.  
  
"Mmm... Ya know what, Ethan?" Lucas looked down at him, his eyes filled with primal hunger. "I got somethin' I want to tell you..." He leaned in until he was face to face with the other man...  
  
"Sweet dreams!"  
  
He slapped his cheek and cackled wickedly as Ethan kicked out at him, hissing a litany of angry curses. Backing away, he held his hands up, still laughing hysterically at his stupid prank.   
  
"Easy now, Ethan, don't you go gettin' yourself all worked up now. You know I can't trust you not to go runnin' off on me. We gotta work together, you and me." He finally managed to get his laughter under control and he sat back down on his bed. "Get some rest, Ethan. You're gonna need it!"  
  
The lights were shut off with the exception of the glow from the television as Lucas decided to stay up and watch his adult movie channel. Thankfully, he kept the volume down.  
  
Ethan had a hard time trying to sleep in the awkward position he was in. He was still wearing only a towel and his arms were starting to ache. The sound of Lucas jacking off yet again didn't help matters.   
  
He thought about where their ultimate destination would be. Whatever corporation Lucas was working for was clearly still in contact with him. Ethan wondered if they knew about him, though it was already very likely that Lucas had blabbed to them about him. He was a professional snitch after all.

Then his thoughts strayed back to Mia. He was desperate to see her again, to know that she was truly okay. She was his wife, the entire reason he'd gone to that God-forsaken hellhole in the first place.  
  
Rapid, heavy breathing, accompanied by a small cry of pleasure, snapped him from his thoughts as Lucas came all over himself again.  
  
Ethan turned his head away in disgust. He briefly wondered how many times a day the other man did this, but he quickly shoved those thoughts out of his head. Best not to dwell on the sick little details of the depraved Baker son's daily life.  
  
Closing his eyes, he fell into a light and fitful sleep.  
  
\--------------  
  
A heavy, pungent odor brought him from his sleep a few hours later. The television was off and room was dark. Ethan blinked lazily and tried to adjust his eyes when he froze with horror.  
  
There, just standing at the foot of his bed, was Lucas Baker. He towered over Ethan, looking down at him through the dark circles that surrounded his eyes. The sharp angles of his face were heavily detailed in the harsh contrast between moonlight and shadow. He said nothing, didn't even flinch when Ethan woke up.   
  
They remained suspended in time, staring each other down for what seemed like an eternity when Lucas finally broke eye contact and casually wandered back over to his bed. He lay back down and rested his hands behind his head as though nothing had ever happened. The moonlight filtering through the window made him appear even more deathly pale than usual, his eyes only visible as dark black circles. He looked dead, and as such it was unsettling every time he moved.  
  
Needless to say, Ethan didn't go back to sleep that night, even when he heard Lucas beginning to snore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Judging by the state of the Bakers' home (and their bathtub), I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that bathing was not a thing they did very often... Lucas is pretty disgusting right now.


	3. Chapter 3

"Up and at 'em, Ethan! We got a big day ahead of us."  
  
Lucas was unusually chipper that morning as he untied Ethan's wrists and practically skipped over to the other side of the room to check his phone.  
  
Ethan sat up and rubbed the life back into his aching arms as he watched the Baker son tapping away at a text message. A smile spread its way across his face and he gave a nod of satisfaction before turning back to Ethan.  
  
"Got a nice surprise comin' for you real soon here!" He winked mischievously.  
  
Ethan gave him a look of dread. "I'd rather not have any more of your surprises, _Luke._ Enough's enough."  
  
Lucas clapped a hand to his heart and knit his brows in mock pain. "Now that hurts, Ethan! I went through a lotta trouble to get this over here!"  
  
Just as he opened his mouth to tease Ethan further there was a knock at their door. Lucas gave him a warning glare and went over to check the peephole. "Who is it?"  
  
"Housekeeping," came the reply. Ethan swallowed nervously.  
  
"What's the password?"  
  
"4217."  
  
Lucas laughed and rubbed his hands together, opening the door to their room. A man in a suit handed a package to Lucas, along with some papers. He turned and left without a word, even as Lucas called his thanks out to him.  
  
"What was that all about?", Ethan asked.  
  
Lucas ignored him. He was tearing the package open on his bed with a gleeful smile on his face. The contents were soon revealed one by one as he pulled them out and set them on the mattress; a messenger bag, some clothes, handcuffs, and a fairly sizable wad of cash. Lucas held up some of the clothing items and looked them over before chucking some of them at Ethan.  
  
"Happy birthday, mother fucker!"  
  
Ethan removed the shirt that had landed on his head, only to be hit in the face with a pair of jeans. "What the hell _is_ all this? And what's with the handcuffs?"  
  
"Figured we could do with a change of clothes, and these?", Lucas jangled the handcuffs in the air, "These here are to ensure that your ass ain't gonna be tryin' to run off anyplace." He tapped the side of his head and squinted knowingly at the other man. "I think I know you well enough not to trust you in a room alone, Ethan. You ain't as dumb as you look, and me an' you? We're in this shit _together,_ ya hear?"  
  
"Are you fucking serious? What the fuck are you going to do, handcuff us together and walk around like that all day? This isn't some comedy skit on TV, dipshit!"  
  
"Hey! You watch your mouth, Ethan!" Lucas raised an eyebrow at him. "I already told you about that! You just relax and don't worry 'bout the details, ya get me?" He gave Ethan a pointed glare, the type a teacher would give to a misbehaving child over the top of their glasses. It clearly brooked no argument.  
  
Luckily for Ethan he didn't give a fuck.  
  
"If I'm going to be locked up in handcuffs at all I think I deserve to know what the reason is. What are we talking here, all day every day? And to what?"  
  
"Not all day, just when you're alone. I just don't want you runnin' off and doing somethin' stupid whenever I'm away. Which reminds me..." Lucas reached in his back pocket and took out Ethan's phone. He waved it in front of him with a big stupid grin on his face. "I went ahead and took this from ya when I was emptyin' your pockets. Think I might be a nice guy an' let you use it, providin' you don't go pissin' me off." He pulled it back and gave Ethan a no-nonsense glare. "Now don't you go pullin' some stupid shit like tryin' to contact Mia or the authorities. Got it rigged up real nice so's me and my people can monitor everything that goes through it, understand?"  
  
Ethan looked at his phone with mild disgust. He wasn't sure he wanted it back after being in Lucas' butt pocket for so long...  
  
Quickly, he tried changing the subject. "So, what's all in the package? This all stuff from 'your people'?"  
  
Lucas looked back at the contents strewn across his bed and smiled. "Sure is! Got us some sweet duds, deodorant, some stuff to brush our teeth and comb our hair an' shit...", he held up the large stack of bills, "An' a whole _shitload_ of cash!" He gave a loud, dorky guffaw-snort combo before composing himself once more. "You know what, Ethan? You been a good boy. Least I can do is treat ya to breakfast!"  
  
Tossing the money and paperwork into the messenger bag, he snatched up a t-shirt and jeans before standing from his bed and toeing his shoes off. " _After_ I get cleaned up. Go on an' get dressed so I can try these things out."  
  
Ethan sneered at the handcuffs being dangled from Lucas' fingers. "Why didn't you tell me that you had this shit on the way earlier?" He didn't like the lecherous smirk he got in return.  
  
"Maybe I just wanted to see if you were dumb enough to strip down to nothin' and stay that way all night."  
  
"Fucking _sick_...", Ethan growled, pulling on a basic black t-shirt. "Can I get some privacy please?!"  
  
Lucas turned his back to him so he could tug his boxers and jeans on. "You reeeally wanted that shower _bad,_ Ethan. I knew that was gonna be your first stop." He turned back to face him with that downright disgusting smirk on his face. "You're just about as predictable as a rat in a cage."  
  
"Isn't that what I am?" Ethan's mood was souring by the minute. The other man always seemed to know just what buttons to push at just the wrong time.  
  
He had just tugged his boots on when Lucas casually walked over and handcuffed his left wrist to the bedpost. It was disturbing how natural it seemed for him.  
  
"So..." Ethan decided to confront him head on, "Mind telling me what the fuck you were doing standing over my bed last night?"  
  
Lucas froze for a moment, his eyes glued to the lamp on Ethan's bedside table, before standing back up and turning to leave. "Dunno what you're talkin' about.", he muttered quietly.  
  
"The hell you don't! I woke up and you were just standing _right there!_ " Ethan pointed to the foot of the bed. "Or is that something that's considered normal in your family?!"  
  
Lucas merely glanced over his shoulder at Ethan, a smug look on his face. Choosing not to respond, he continued toward the bathroom, shedding his clothes as he went.  
  
Irritably turning his head toward the window brought Ethan back to his thoughts. He needed to find a way back to Mia. He would have given anything just to hear her voice again, to know that she was alright. Unfortunately for him, the only person who had any clues as to what was going on with anything anymore was busy playing head games with him for his own sick amusement.  
  
He ventured a glance back when he heard the shower come on. _'Oh, that's just fucking swell...'_  
  
There, standing with his back to Ethan was Lucas, butt-ass naked as he checked the temperature of the water. He hadn't bothered to close the door, presumably to keep an eye on his charge. His body was thin and frail, his skin a sickly pale yellowish-grey and covered in odd purple splotches that varied in size and shade. Dark veins were visible everywhere.  
  
_'My God... There's an actual fucking zombie in the bathroom.'_ Ethan couldn't help sneering in disgust. Eveline's fungus had truly ravaged the Baker family.  
  
He quickly looked away as the other man stepped into the shower, thankfully closing the curtain halfway. He felt so useless like this, sitting chained to a bedpost like a dog waiting for its master to return. An overwhelming urge to just yank the cuffs off and run flooded throughout his entire body and he grit his teeth in frustration. Why the fuck did he have to end up in a situation like this? If only he'd paid more attention to what was going on around him instead of running like a coward from that shithead, Lucas. He'd have been on that helicopter and reunited with Mia right now.  
  
Risking a glance up he saw Lucas peering around the shower curtain at him. Somehow, the dark rings around his eyes were far more apparent now. The heat from the water must have flushed his skin. He disappeared back behind the curtain and started whistling a jaunty tune.  
  
_'Glad someone's enjoying themselves.'_ Ethan bitterly thought.  
  
\----------------------------  
  
Twenty minutes later saw them eating a pancake breakfast in their room, via Lucas' money and Ethan's phone etiquette. Ethan's cuffs had been unlocked and they now sat on their beds in mutual silence, scarfing down the first decent meal either of them had enjoyed in days.  
  
Lucas slurped down his coffee and shoveled another load of hotcakes into his mouth, chewing loudly. Ethan's manner of eating was much the same. Neither man gave a shit about what he looked like eating at this point.  
  
"Mmf, s'not as good as Mama makes...", Lucas mumbled, taking another chug of his coffee. He'd cleaned up quite well, the foul stench that seemed to surround him like an aura now completely gone. He'd changed into a dark green hoodie, simple jeans, and new canvas shoes. "We gotta get rid of those." He nodded to the pile of their filthy clothes from before. "We'll toss 'em when we get to our next stop."  
  
"Where _is_ our next stop?", Ethan inquired.  
  
"Missouri. Gotta keep north for now, 'cause they're gonna be searchin' all around the Texas state line. You an' the little wifey just up an' gone missin', ya know." He gave Ethan a wink. "Might even think you had somethin' to do with it."  
  
"What?! What makes you think they'd suspect me of doing anything _like_ that?! I even said I was going looking for Mia!"  
  
Lucas laughed so hard he started choking on his coffee. He hacked and wheezed in between his cruel bouts of laughter, smacking his chest and shaking his head with mirth.  
  
"Ethan, you dumbshit! You're about the stupidest son of a bitch I ever met!" He wheezed out another painful laugh, swallowing down the last of his coffee. "You'll fall for anything I say, won't ya?"  
  
"What the fuck do you expect me to believe?! You're pretty much the only person I have left to go on for anything right now!"  
  
"Fuckin' airhead..." Lucas shook his head, that infuriating smirk back on his lips. "Good thing ya got me around to keep you in line. Lord knows, you'd probably go walkin' straight off the edge of a Goddamn cliff if someone told you Mia was waitin' at the bottom."  
  
Ethan clenched his jaws in rage, but he kept himself in check. It would do him no good to try attacking Lucas right now. He'd give anything to hear Zoe's advice in regards to his current predicament. She and Lucas grew up together after all, if anyone could decipher his convoluted personality it would be her.  
  
With a deep breath he decided to take the high road. "Alright, whatever. When do we check out?"  
  
Lucas sat back and picked his teeth as he signed in on his phone. "Noon. But I'm thinkin' we should get goin' a lot sooner than that. Gotta lot of ground to cover between here an' there."  
  
\------------------------  
  
It was roughly 9:30 AM when they'd officially checked out were heading out to the parking lot.  
  
"Ooh, shit! I almost forgot..." Lucas dug into his messenger bag and pulled out a screwdriver and a set of license plates. "We gotta switch the plates on your car, Ethan. These here are Missouri plates." He dug through the files he'd received earlier and pulled out a worn-looking driver's license with Ethan's picture on it and a fake registration and insurance card. "Here, take these and toss 'em in the glove box, I'll change the front plates, you get the back." He handed one of the plates to Ethan along with another screwdriver.  
  
Ethan stared dumbfounded "You know, if they're looking for me, don't you think they'd recognize my appearance?"  
  
Lucas had already sat down in front of the car and was in the process of removing the first plate. "Don't you worry none about that, I got it all taken care of. You just hurry your ass up and get that other plate done, you hear?"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Ethan did as he was instructed. "So, what sort of corporation do you work for anyway? These guys seem pretty professional. Where are they getting all this shit?"  
  
"Already told you not to worry about it none. You just make sure you do as I say, Ethan."  
  
With the plates switched out and their new information tucked away in the glove box, Lucas stuffed everything in with their filthy old clothes and instructed Ethan on which roads to take to get back on the interstate.  
  
\-------------------------------  
  
They'd been driving for about an hour and a half in relative silence when Lucas finally shut off his phone and plugged it into the charger. Taking a deep breath, he slapped his hands on his knees and turned to look at Ethan.  
  
"So, Ethan! What kinda music do ya like, buddy?"  
  
Ethan shrugged. "I don't know... Rock?"  
  
Lucas stared at him for a minute, a grin spreading across his lips. "Okay... And?"  
  
"Just rock, I guess." He glanced over at the other man. "What about you?"  
  
Lucas tipped his head back against his seat and smiled at him. "You fuckin' know what kinda music I like..."  
  
"Country?", Ethan ventured.  
  
The other man gave him a slow nod. "Yes, I like country, an' what else?"  
  
"Um..." Ethan wasn't sure what sort of game Lucas was playing at right now, but he was getting uncomfortable. He gave another nervous shrug. "I-I don't know..."  
  
Lucas leaned toward him and tapped off a list on his fingers. "Techno, some kinds of metal, and yes, rock too."  
  
Ethan just nodded. He preferred it when Lucas stayed quiet and immersed in whatever was on his phone.  
  
They sat in silence for a good five minutes or so, Lucas once again staring Ethan down.  
  
_'Fucking creeper.'_  
  
Thinking quickly, he turned the radio on and started searching through the stations. "Want to listen to the radio for awhile?"  
  
Lucas just shrugged, his head still turned in Ethan's direction. "You look just like a fuckin' Ken doll." He was grinning from ear to ear at his insult when he suddenly jolted and smacked Ethan's hand away from the dial. "Wait, wait! Go back!"  
  
The local country station buzzed in on the radio, playing a song that was familiar to the both of them. Ethan couldn't help the smile that came to his face when Lucas loudly started singing along.  
  
"I got a brand new girlfriend! We went and jumped off the deep end~"  
  
_'Well, this song fits him to a T.'_  
  
Lucas was clapping his hands and singing blissfully away for the next few minutes, giving Ethan the relative peace he needed.  
  
A few minutes later after the song had ended, Lucas seemed to be in a much less confronting mood. He was smiling happily with his arm hanging out of his window, content with watching the blue skies and golden fields as they blurred past.  
  
Eventually, he stretched and yawned, lazily picking up his phone and checking his GPS.  
  
"Ookaay, Ethan... You wanna take the next exit right, then take an immediate left. We got a gas station up ahead."  
  
Ethan did as he was asked. He realized what questioning the other man would mean.  
  
As they pulled into the gas station, Ethan immediately spotted the black Chrysler Fifth Avenue parked out back by the restrooms. He nodded toward the other car. "That your guys?"  
  
Lucas glanced up and rushed to get his seatbelt off. "Sure is! Gonna give 'em all this shit." He gathered up their old clothes and documents. "Alright Ethan, come on. I gotta take a shit."  
  
Ethan gave him a look of absolute disgust. " _No._ Absolutely fucking _not._ I'm not sitting in a gas station bathroom with you while you take a dump, _fuck_ that."  
  
Lucas gave a shrug of simple nonchalance. "Suit yourself, Ethan. But you're gettin' your ass out of the car and stayin' where my boys can keep an eye on you."  
  
Lucas yanked Ethan's keys from him and got out of the car, standing by with an irritated expression as he waited for Ethan to get out. Heading over to the trio of men in front of the Chrysler, Lucas handed over the pile of ratty clothes and pointed toward Ethan before jogging over to the men's room.  
  
Ethan was stuck standing awkwardly by the gang of three. Two of the men were dressed in official military-style gear, the other in a business suit and tie. They stared expressionlessly at him, making him almost wish he'd just stayed in the restroom with Lucas after all.  
  
It seemed like an eternity when Lucas finally emerged from the bathroom, smiling at the men and thanking them for 'babysitting his servant'. The man in the suit merely gave him a nod and watched them closely as they made their way around to the front of the building.  
  
Lucas put his hood up when they got inside and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Now it was Ethan's turn to lead.  
  
Ethan walked down the isles, letting Lucas pick out the things he wanted. He immediately made a beeline for the snack section, picking out a selection of his usual Little Debbies and Combos before heading over to grab some sodas.  
  
"Well, go on Ethan, this here cash is for you too, ya know."  
  
Ethan picked out a candy bar and a bottle of water. They started to make their way toward the front of the store when something caught Lucas' attention.  
  
"Hold on, check this out!"  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes in embarrassment. _'Of course...'_ Lucas had found the adult magazines and grabbed a few of them, along with a couple sets of aviators.  
  
"Alright, _now_ I think we're ready to roll!"  
  
He handed everything off to Ethan, along with a few bills.  
  
"Dude, _really?_ " Ethan looked from the cheesy 'Jugs' magazine and back to Lucas. "You want _me_ to go up there with this shit?"  
  
"Damn right I do, city boy. Now, go on, get!" He gave Ethan's behind a solid smack and chuckled mischievously.  
  
Ethan glared at him but relented nonetheless.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
Ten minutes later saw them back on the interstate, continuing up through Missouri with Lucas in the passenger seat, his nose buried in one of his magazines.  
  
"Don't start jacking off in my car, _please._ ", Ethan sighed.  
  
Lucas looked over at him with a huge grin on his face. His cheeks were slightly flushed.  
  
"What's the matter, Ethan? You get a boner when I do that?" He laughed at the disgusted groan he got in return before reaching into his bag and pulling out a pair of the aviators he got. He slipped them onto Ethan's face with a surprising minimal struggle from the other man and gave a loud whistle. "Hoo- _wee!_ Check out the city-boy now! Lookin' good, Ethan!"  
  
Ethan offered him a little smirk and shook his head. Lucas had donned his own pair and they now sat side by side, windows down with the country station blaring.  
  
Lucas hadn't felt so free in years. Tearing open a package of chips he went back to his dirty magazine, all of his anxieties about the coming days temporarily gone. They still had a ways to go yet, but he felt confident that between the two of them, they'd make it out alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Brand New Girlfriend' is a song by Steve Holy. Watch the video to see why Ethan thinks it fits Lucas so well. (Hint: Remember all the creepy mannequins he had around the house? Yeah...)
> 
> Also, I'm a sucker for cheesy country songs ;D


	4. Chapter 4

Driving along the sun drenched highway saw Lucas and Ethan continuing on toward their destination, music blaring, the wind in their hair. It would have almost been nice had it not been for the terrible circumstances that originally brought them together on their trip.  
  
Lucas was scrolling through his phone when he heard the siren coming up from behind them.  
  
"Oooohh, _shit..._ "  
  
Ethan looked in the rear view mirror and saw the flashing lights. " _Fuck!_ " He pulled over and glanced at Lucas. "Your 'company' had better have our asses covered." He gave the other man a warning glare.  
  
"Fuckin' cops! Alright Ethan, just play it cool man, don't go gettin' all hot-headed. Shh, here he comes!"  
  
A highway patrol officer sauntered up to the vehicle and leaned right into Ethan's window. He reeked of chewing tobacco. "Howdy... You fellers in some kinda hurry?"  
  
Ethan shrugged. "Not really. Why?"  
  
The officer pointed behind them. "Seen you boys come flyin' on through here like your asses was on fire."  
  
"Aw man, I'm sorry sir. We were just trying to get back to town. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to my speed."  
  
Slowly shaking his head, the officer turned and spat his chew on the ground before looking back toward Ethan. "Gonna need to see your license and registration, please..."  
  
Ethan reached over into the glove box and pulled out his fake license and paperwork.  
  
The officer looked it over for a moment before standing to leave. "Alright, I'll just be a minute." Both men watched him slowly walk back over to his car and get back in.  
  
"He's running our fucking plates, Lucas. I don't even remember what the fuck my new name was supposed to be."  
  
"Relax, Ethan! I told ya, I got your back. We'll be fine..." He reclined back in his seat and smiled. "Your name is Justin Fox, an' I'm Bill Langley. We're gonna be outta here in no time, just you wait!"   
  
Ethan glared at the cocky wink he got and slumped over toward his window, massaging his forehead in irritation. Lucky for him the aviators he was wearing prevented the cop from seeing his completely exasperated face.  
  
After what felt like an eternity the officer returned and handed Ethan back his license and papers. "Okay then, Mr. Fox, I tell you what. You've been mighty cooperative with me an' I'm in a good mood today, so's I'mma let you boys off with a warning..." He pointed at Ethan and raised a stern eyebrow. "Now, no more hot-roddin' around this here highway, ya get me?"  
  
Ethan nodded. "Yes sir, thank you."  
  
"Thank you, an' have a nice day, officer!", Lucas unhelpfully chimed in. Ethan made a mental note to strangle him later...  
  
"Ya see, Ethan?", Lucas said as they watched the cop get back in his car, "You just leave everything to me. You're in good hands... Just mind your speed, you're drivin' like a maniac." He snickered childishly.  
  
Ethan simply flipped him off and started driving. He was getting more irritated with Lucas by the second.  
  
\-----------------------------------------  
  
"Alright, Ethan, we're makin' good time and I know you're tired, but I just wanna get a little further to the North-West, okay? Hang in there, buddy. Don't you fall asleep on me, now!"  
  
Ethan gave an exasperated sigh. He hadn't slept hardly at all the night prior thanks to his 'travel partner', it was already 9:30 PM and they'd spent the entire day trying to save time while avoiding the cops on the roads, and now Lucas was beginning to get even more irritating than usual as he'd been lamenting about not having a girlfriend for the last two hours.   
  
Needless to say, Ethan was about ready to snap.  
  
"Now, getting back to what I was sayin', it's been fucking _years,_ Ethan! I mean, _no_ man should go that long without gettin' his dick wet, you get me? And I _still_ ain't never had no steady relationship. I mean, sometimes ya just don't know true happiness unless you're balls-deep in a-"  
  
"Where are we supposed to be going?! Do you even fucking know?!" Ethan didn't want to hear it anymore.  
  
"Eeee _thaaaan_ , cool your jets, man..."  
  
"No! Shut the fuck up and fucking _navigate_ , you idiot! I don't give a fuck about your sex life!"  
  
Lucas' smile faded and he stared deadpan at him. "You better watch your fuckin' mouth, boy! It just takes one call an' my guys will take you down faster'n a deer in hunting season."  
  
"Your guys? Your fucking _guys?!_ Do _they_ even know where the hell we're going right now?" He turned to shout right in Lucas' face. "Because it sure as shit looks to me like this whole fucking plan is receding faster than your fucking hairline!"  
  
Lucas' eyes went wide. He stuttered in shock for a few moments before screaming right back at Ethan. "Y-you son of a bitch! I oughtta gut you like a fucking pig and hang yer innards out on a fence for the vultures to eat!"  
  
Ethan whirled on him. "Yeah? Yeah, mother fucker?! Okay, _fine!_ You want to go?" He slammed on the brakes causing Lucas to catch himself on the dashboard. Cellophane wrappers and dirty magazines went flying forward onto the floor as Ethan cranked the wheel to the right, violently pulling the car over to the side of the highway. "Let's fucking go, asshole!" Ethan got out of the car, slamming his door so hard it shook the entire vehicle. Lucas swallowed nervously, watching the enraged young man as he stalked around to the passenger side, his arms spread wide and ready for a fight.  
  
Lucas immediately went for the lock as Ethan tried to yank his door open. Oh, how the tables had turned...  
  
"Come on you fucking pussy, _gut me!_ Do it, you assfuck!"  
  
"I ain't gotta do nothin' you worthless sack of monkey shit! You're fuckin' crazy, Ethan!" Lucas' heart felt like it was slamming against his chest. In reality he was absolutely terrified. He'd always hated getting into fights, mainly because he always got his ass kicked. He just wasn't any good at it, preferring instead to play the Internet troll card and hide safely away behind screens and locked doors.   
  
He gave a panicked cry when Ethan punched the door, rocking the car to the side. Clambering over to the driver's side, he locked the other door. In the back of his mind he remembered the premise of the book 'Cujo'. He was essentially trapped in a car on a darkened back road in bumfuck Missouri with a rabid dog trying to get at him. Despite his regenerative powers and superhuman strength he still felt terrified in these sorts of situations. He was supposed to be the one in charge, damn it!  
  
Desperate, he pulled out his hunting knife and sat in the center of the car, gasping for breath and staring wide-eyed at Ethan in the headlights. The other man's unkempt hair was hanging over his right eye and sticking up in a few spikes in the back. His pecs were clearly visible under his t-shirt and his biceps as well. He reminded Lucas of the typical looking jock-types at his high school, the football players who tended to bully him the most. All of his old feelings of anxiety and inadequacy came flooding back to him, and while he'd seen Ethan pissed before, it was never anything like this.  
  
He'd never admit to it but it terrified him to the core.  
  
Ethan kicked the front fender of the car a couple times, flipped him off, turned and started walking away down the road. Lucas watched him for awhile as he faded away into the shadows, his breathing so loud it was ringing in his ears. Now he was starting to panic. Frightening as Ethan was at the moment, the thought of being abandoned in the middle of nowhere scared Lucas even more. He possessed zero survival instinct. He quickly fumbled with the door lock and cautiously stepped out onto the road. He couldn't even see Ethan anymore.  
  
"Ethan!", he called, his voice wavering nervously. "Ethan, come on back, man! It's okay, it's over. Let's just let it go buddy, okay?"  
  
There was no response.  
  
" _Ethan!_ " Lucas didn't even bother trying to hide the fear in his voice.   
  
" _Shit..._ ", he mumbled, scrambling to get into the driver's seat. "Shit, shit, _shit!_ "  
  
He pressed down on the clutch and put it into first, slowly pulling back onto the road, eyes desperately searching the dark for Ethan.   
  
He drove like that for a short time, calling Ethan's name like he was a lost child. When he finally caught up to him, the other man was still marching resolutely forward. Lucas reached over to unlock the passenger side door and rolled the window down.  
  
"Hey, Ethan! What'cha doin', buddy?"  
  
The other didn't even spare him a glance.  
  
"Where in the hell d'ya think you're goin' huh? Come on man, you're actin' crazy. Just get back in the car an' we'll stop somewhere's, alright? I'll even do the drivin' if you want. Okay, Ethan?"  
  
It seemed like an eternity when the other man finally spoke in a low voice. "Where's Mia?"  
  
Lucas stopped the car for a moment, not expecting the question. Quickly, he put it back into gear and drove slowly right alongside Ethan again.  
  
"Ethan, you know I can't tell you that right now, but I told ya, she's fine! Look, just get in an' we can talk about it on the way."  
  
Ethan shook his head and kept right on walking. " _No._ You're either going to tell me what the fuck is going on or we part ways right here. I want to see her again, I _need_ to see her again."  
  
Lucas watched him for a few seconds before giving a heavy sigh of compliance. "Remember when I told you Umbrella took her away? Well, that ain't exactly true..."  
  
He could see that Ethan had taken a deep breath and was holding it. He looked about ready to kill.  
  
"Look, I don't really know myself, the helicopter had the Umbrella logo on it so I just assumed."  
  
The other man was still walking, looking straight ahead.  
  
"Alright? S-so, come on back now, Ethan, okay?" He looked about ready to cry. "...Please?"  
  
Ethan finally stopped and looked over at Lucas. "Look, I need some answers _now!_ Either you tell me what the fuck is going on," he pointed out towards the pitch black woodlands on the other side of the car, "or I book it right _the fuck_ out of here and you never see me again."  
  
Lucas winced in irritation. "Aw, c'mon, Ethan! You _know_ I can't tell you nothin'-"  
  
Taking a couple of steps back, Ethan shrugged his shoulders and darted across the road toward the woods.  
  
"No, no, nonono, Ethan, _no!!_ She's in Montana you dipshit, get back here!"  
  
Lucas' eyes desperately searched the dark that Ethan had disappeared into, until after a couple of moments of breathless panic he finally saw the young man slowly walking back toward the car. "Ethan? _Ethan!_ " He closed his eyes let out a sigh of relief. "Goddammit Ethan, you scared the _shit_ outta me!"  
  
Ethan came to the driver's side door, placed his hands on the open window and leaned down to face the Baker son. "What's she doing in Montana?"  
  
"Look Ethan, just get back in the car, okay? Come on, man, you're makin' me nervous..."  
  
Ethan stared deadpan at him.  
  
Giving the other man a bitchy look, Lucas sighed heavily and turned back to focus on the steering wheel. "There's some sorta biotech lab or somethin' up there. They gave her more serum, though fuck if I know where they got more'a that shit. She's doin' just fine. Guess she knows some of them folks there. My company's been trackin' 'er for awhile now."  
  
"Is she in any danger? Seems these two companies don't get along too well, considering one of them created one hell of a fucked up bio-weapon."  
  
Lucas shook his head. "Naw, she ain't in any danger... Apparently she seems to know what's goin' on. When my guys found out I'd taken you they asked me to seek this place out an' bring you along with me. So... I guess ya might see her again after all, Ethan." There was a quiet note of resignation in his voice. He seemed almost sad.  
  
"So? Why all the secrecy? Or am I just being led to slaughter? You told me she was starting a new life without me."  
  
"They just wanna check out the levels of that fungus-shit in your head, an' then if they see anything major they're gonna get rid of it. Might do a few tests, but nothin' like experimenting with rats an' shit." He suddenly whipped his head around to face Ethan with wild eyes. "They ain't takin' me, though! I already told ya, Ethan, I don't wanna go back! My guys are mainly here to protect _me,_ you ain't nothin' but cargo. We just wanna make sure ya get someplace safe an' ya don't go talkin' to anyone about what happened, okay?"  
  
"So why not just kill me? Wouldn't that have been easier?"  
  
Lucas snickered. "You wanna die _that_ bad, huh Ethan?" When he got no response he cleared his throat and looked back at the steering wheel, absently picking at it as he spoke. "Look, I-I just... Aw, come _on_ , just get back in here before ya get eaten alive by bears or some shit! I already told ya what I know!"  
  
Seemingly satisfied with the information he received, Ethan stood back up and came around to the passenger side. Wordlessly, he got in and strapped on his seatbelt.  
  
Lucas gave a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat.   
  
"Ethan?"  
  
The other man glanced over at him.  
  
Lucas shook his head. "Don't you ever, _ever_ , fuckin' run off on me like that again."  
  
"Yeah well, when I ask you a question just be straight with me. We could have avoided all this bullshit had you just told me that we were going to where Mia was all along."  
  
Lucas glared irritably at him and pulled back out onto the road. "Yeah? Well had you been listenin' to what I been sayin' this whole time you would'a known what the fuck was goin' on." He shook his head. "You're about as thick in the head as they come, Ethan, I fuckin' _swear!_ "  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, was I somehow supposed to read your fucking mind?!"  
  
Lucas finally raised his voice. "Listen, _shithead!_ You knew damn well that I couldn't say shit about this company or what I been doin' these last few years. You were too fuckin' stupid to pick up on my signals when you an' I first met over that filthy, rotten old supper table with Evie sittin' right in between us! I was lookin' right _at_ her!"  
  
Ethan watched the road in silence as he took in the unsettling information. He remembered now that Lucas kept glancing over at the old woman who no one else seemed to notice in the room. "Is that why you kept throwing that shit at me? You didn't want to eat it either?"  
  
The other man gave an over-exaggerated nod of his head as though speaking to a small child. "No fuckin' _shit,_ pretty boy! _Finally_ , the dumb blonde _gets_ it! Hell no I didn't want no more'a that cannibal gut-rot. I got enough of that shit after we ate that TV show host, whatever the fuck his name was!"  
  
Ethan suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "Oh, for fuck sake, Lucas, _enough!_ "  
  
Lucas gave him a disgusting smile. "Mia, too... Ya' know, she ate with us-"  
  
"Stop! Just shut up, alright?! _Fuck_..."  
  
The other man simply gave a triumphant smirk and went back to driving, pleased that he'd gotten one up on Ethan.  
  
\----------------------------  
  
They'd driven for roughly another hour or so when Lucas finally pulled into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn. Neither of them had spoken outside of a few mumbled words. While they were still angry at one another, each of them were far too preoccupied with their own thoughts to bother arguing further. Ethan couldn't stop thinking of Mia. Knowing she was so close made him feel both relieved and anxious at the same time. But now he had even more questions regarding both of the companies she and Lucas were working for, and he was frustrated at not getting any straight answers.  
  
Lucas on the other hand was terrified at the thought of what would happen to them now that he'd given Ethan so much information. Now the other man had a solid bit of power over him. If Ethan got into contact with anybody about what he knew it could mean death for all of them, Mia included. Technically though, Lucas could use that leverage to keep Ethan on a short leash.   
  
He stuffed his laptop into his bag and locked the doors once Ethan was out. Slogging through their usual check-in routine, they rode the elevator up to their room in silence, and once inside Ethan made a beeline for the shower. Lucas sat on his bed and started unpacking a few things. He was still fuming over that comment Ethan had made about his hair.  
  
" _Sum'bitch..._ ", he mumbled, flipping open his laptop and signing on. He sent a quick email update about where they were, when they would leave, and whether or not anything had changed in their scheduled route.  
  
Stepping out of the shower, Ethan went straight to his bed and laid down without a peep. Lucas looked him over a couple times. He was wearing his boxers, leaving the rest of his body on display. Lucas couldn't say that he minded.  
  
Pulling out the cuffs, he headed over to Ethan's bed. "You know you still gotta put these on..."  
  
Ethan didn't argue. He simply allowed his wrist to be locked to the bedpost. Neither one of them had to strength to fight at this point, and within twenty minutes they were both fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Ethan was pulled from his slumber by what sounded like a lawnmower. Blinking rapidly, he looked around and tried to get his bearings. Sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating the room in a bright, cheery light. Sitting up, he stretched and yawned, feeling far more refreshed than he had in weeks.  
  
Then he looked over at Lucas' bed.  
  
The son of the Baker family was laying sprawled out on his stomach in his underwear, his face squished up against his pillow as he snored loudly enough to wake the dead. Ethan rolled his eyes and looked away. " _That's_ fucking classy...", he uttered.  
  
He glanced over at the alarm clock. It was already 11:45 AM.  
  
"Shit!" Ethan grabbed one of his pillows and launched it across at Lucas. "Hey, wake up!"  
  
The pillow landed directly in Lucas' face but he merely snorted and lifted his head, his eyes half closed in a sleepy daze. He looked down at the pillow for a moment as if pondering the idea of it suddenly being there, before grunting and turning on his side to go back to sleep.  
  
Ethan watched in irritation as the pillow slowly slid down the side of the bed and flopped stupidly onto the floor. It wasn't a minute later that Lucas' snoring started up again, quietly at first, then rising into a veritable lawn care symphony.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud, get up you lazy shit! We have to check out!"  
  
Another loud snore was the only response he got.  
  
"Lucas!"  
  
Nothing...  
  
" _Lucas!_ " Finally he got a snort out of the other man as he shifted around a little. "Are you gonna get up?!"  
  
Eventually he stirred and sat up, groaning in irritation and rubbing a hand across his puffy eyes.  
  
"Hey! Come on man, get me out of these cuffs so we can get dressed. It's already almost noon."  
  
Lucas sat up and hunched over, crossing his legs and laying his hands in his lap. He blinked tiredly and absently stared over at Ethan's blankets. "Well, g'mornin' to you too, Ethan...", he mumbled.  
  
"Um, _okay?_ Are we checking out or what?" Ethan was already losing his patience again.  
  
Lucas just nodded toward the phone and started scratching at his head. "If you're so worried about it, why not just try callin' the front desk an' tellin' 'em we're gonna be late?"  
  
Ethan just gave him a look. "So you want me to use the phone? You realize I'm still chained to the fucking headboard, right?"  
  
The other man gave a long, exasperated sigh and looked down to pick at his toes. "...Why you gotta be such an ass, Ethan?"  
  
"Why don't you think before blaming me for your own preventative security measures? You knew we needed to be up early."  
  
"Well then why didn't you just set the alarm, wise-ass?" Lucas looked over at Ethan, his tired eyes full of irritation.  
  
"The alarm is on your side of the room! How would I have been able to get to it from here?!"  
  
"Ya could'a reminded me to set it, then!"  
  
Ethan clamped his mouth shut and looked away. He was about ready to lose his shit on this man...  
  
Lucas snickered and got up off his bed. "Gotcha, didn't I, city boy? You ain't as smart as you think you are." As he approached Ethan he put his hands out in a gesture of momentary peace. "Alright, alright, that's enough a' that shit. We ain't got time fer squabblin' anymore." He reached over and unlocked the cuffs. "Let's just get you dressed, then I can get a shower an' some breakfast."  
  
Ethan sat up on the edge of his bed, rubbing the life back into his wrist and watching as Lucas went back into his messenger bag, tossing dirty magazines and candy bars all over the floor until he found what he was searching for. Dragging out another set of new clothes he carefully selected what he wanted to wear and tossed the rest in Ethan's direction.  
  
"Don't say I never gave ya nothin'... But I sure wouldn't set up no fuss if you was wantin' to stay in your underbritches all day." He winked.  
  
Ethan didn't respond, opting instead to just pull his jeans on as quickly as possible. He'd been wondering for some time what the other man's intentions were. It was baffling how he seemed to switch gears between subjects so quickly, but one thing was for certain; all those weird looks and perverse comments were starting to make sense in his head now.  
  
Clearing his throat, Ethan finished dressing so Lucas could chain his wrist again. "What's going on with you? Why do you always say that shit?"  
  
Lucas gave him a broad grin as he clasped the cuff shut. "Finally picked up on that, did ya? Only took ya three days."  
  
"I thought you said you needed a girlfriend?"  
  
"I do.", came the reply as the phone was handed over to him.  
  
Ethan raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay? And the titty magazines, the porn, the shit you said in the car... Do you prefer men or women?"  
  
"Both." Lucas didn't even hesitate with his answer.  
  
Ethan blinked as he processed this new information. It didn't make him uncomfortable so much as it was just surprising. Or maybe he really was just as thick as Lucas had been saying he was all this time.  
  
"An' before you go off an' start callin' me a fuckin' queer, let me just remind you that I'm the only hope you got of gettin' back to Mia. So like it or not, Ethan, you're stuck with me."  
  
Ethan put his hand up and shook his head in a peace offering. "I wasn't even _thinking_ that. I guess it's just not what I was expecting. I always thought you were crazy for women is all."  
  
Lucas snorted and made his way over toward the bathroom. "My old man was always callin' me a queer, an' he didn't even know. Just assumed on account'a me always bein' alone in my room with my computer an' my projects. _Asshole..._ "  
  
"Yeah, Jack wasn't my favorite person to deal with either...", Ethan mumbled.  
  
The other man smirked at him and started the shower. "I _knew_ I liked you for a reason, Ethan!" He nodded toward the phone. "Best call the front desk now, unless you want to explain yourself bein' chained to a bed when housekeeping comes in here."  
  
' _Dick..._ ' Ethan picked up the phone and dialed reception.  
  
\-------------------------------------------  
  
It was 1:15 PM when they'd finally gotten back on the road. Lucas had insisted they check out and stay for lunch in the dining area, demanding that they start making a habit of having breakfast and dinner as well. There was really no reason not to, and it might even help to improve both of their moods for those long hours they were stuck in the car together. Ethan couldn't argue with that logic. He already felt a million times better after eating and getting a good night's rest.  
  
"Okay, Ethan, let's get on this highway and merge right after the next two turns. We're gonna slip up into Nebraska from here an' hit up a rest stop about thirty miles in, alright?"  
  
"I take it your company is going to be waiting for us there?"  
  
"You know it! I need some more information, _an'_ we gotta get gas and stock up on snacks an' shit."  
  
"Sounds good." Ethan rolled his window down and popped his aviators on.  
  
Lucas looked over at him and smirked. "You look good in those! Glad I picked 'em up." Digging into his bag he pulled out his pair as well and put them on. "So Ethan, what do ya do for a livin'? Wait- Don't tell me... You're a corporate paper-pusher, ain't ya?" He clapped his hands and laughed. "You sure look the type!"  
  
"I'm a systems engineer, actually."  
  
Lucas' laughter died in his throat. He stared slack-jawed at Ethan for a moment before pulling his shades down a little to look him in the eye. " _You're..._ an _engineer?"_  
  
"Sure am."  
  
Lucas continued his dumbfounded staring for a good thirty seconds or so before slowly starting to shake his head in disbelief. "Naw, uh-uh... You fuckin' liar, you ain't no engineer."  
  
"Uh, _yes_ , I am."  
  
Bull _shit_ , city boy!" Lucas pointed to himself. "Now _I_ am an engineer! You remember all that shit I set up back in Dulvey? _Hmm?_ I spent weeks comin' up with them designs. I took all them parts from shit we had just layin' around in the garage. I did all the testin', I rigged up all the electronics, welded all that scrap together, hooked up all them TV's and batteries and what-not... I even programmed all the sensors and software for that shit." He leaned back in his seat giving Ethan a smug look. "Now _that_ is engineering."  
  
Ethan took a deep breath. He wasn't about to be led into another bitchfest with Lucas. After the night prior he'd had enough.  
  
"I have to admit, you _are_ pretty good at bringing your designs to life..."  
  
"Damn right I am!"  
  
"But it seems like you're wasting your talent on such pointless and amateurish contraptions." _Dammit._ He just couldn't help himself.  
  
Lucas reared his head back in resentment. "Excuse me?"  
  
_'Bitchfest incoming.'_ , Ethan thought. He kicked himself internally.  
  
"What I mean is, instead of taking all that time to build up all this shit just so it can explode and kill people, not to mention cause excessive damage to your own property, why not work to create something that can actually help society?" He glanced over at Lucas who was still staring at him with a tremendous frown upon his face. A vein in his forehead was beginning to bulge...  
  
_'Shit',_ he thought, _'How am I gonna get out of this?'_  
  
"Look, you clearly have a lot of talent and skill. What I'm trying to say is that you're not _going_ anywhere with it. Your elaborate puzzles and traps are well thought out but they serve no other purpose than to destroy. You spend all this time making these plans and setting up all these tripwires and exploding crates and animatronic fucking clowns, and to what end? They all end up getting destroyed in the process of killing innocent people. Why do any of it?"  
  
He looked over at the other man. Lucas' ashen face was beginning to twist into an ugly grimace of rage. The yelling would start in roughly 3, _2_...  
  
"You sonnavabitch! You think you're so smart, Ethan? Huh? Think you're better than me?"  
  
Ethan shook his head, trying desperately to maintain his chill. "I never said that, man, I just think-"  
  
"F-fine then, Ethan, what's your fancy _'systems engineering'_ job do fer anything?", Lucas interrupted. He was getting crabbier by the second.  
  
"For starters, most of the stuff that we produce goes into helping to advance technology. We do work for oil refineries, the Air Force, NASA, pretty much anything that deals in robotics or software. See, we start with sort of a blueprint or a plan for how we'd like to set something up, or even to just improve on an older design, then we go in and start to embellish on some of those ideas to get kind of-"  
  
"Well, ain't you just the smart lil' cookie!", Lucas cut in again, "Bet you wouldn't know how to turn on a power drill if it was sittin' right in front'a ya. Try puttin' all that shit _together,_ Ethan!"  
  
"I make six figures a year. What do _you_ make? Oh yeah, you're still living at home with your parents!"  
  
"Alright, alright, _smartass,_ I get it! Good the fuck for you, Ethan, you're better'n me at everything, ain't ya?"  
  
Lucas settled back in his seat, folding his arms and glaring out the window, his previous cheery mood completely forgotten.  
  
Ethan felt the tiniest pang of guilt. He couldn't help himself. Oftentimes he'd let his argumentative behavior get the better of him, resulting in him angering himself as well as his own colleagues. But damn if Lucas wasn't setting him up for it every time he opened his mouth.  
  
Quickly, he tried to think of a way to defuse the situation.  
  
"What about you? You obviously have natural talent. Which college did you go to?"  
  
There was a pause before Lucas gave him a mumbled answer. "I dropped out."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
_'Brilliant fucking response, Ethan...'_  
  
Crossing the state line, they continued on their way in awkward angry silence.  
  
\--------------------------------------  
  
As soon as they pulled around back at the rest stop and parked, Ethan's keys were wordlessly yanked out of his hand. Lucas didn't even spare him a glance as he exited the vehicle and slammed his door, stalking over to the now familiar black car.   
  
Ethan got out and waited close by as they made their usual exchanges, Lucas taking another package from them and stuffing it into his bag. After a few more minutes of talking, Lucas finally turned and motioned for Ethan to follow him into the gas station, pulling his hood up as he did so.  
  
They made their purchases in silence, Lucas grabbing himself a black trucker hat and a deck of cards and tossing them into Ethan's already full hands. He then led Ethan into the cooler in back. "Pretty sure we need us some'a this shit tonight." Grabbing two eighteen packs of beer, he dropped them onto the counter and stepped back to let Ethan pay. Putting twenty bucks down for gas, they filled up the tank and merged back onto the highway, Lucas typing away on his phone again.  
  
Getting back on the road for another couple of hours, they'd actually made good time as they arrived in Lincoln, Lucas giving the vaguest of details about what was shared between he and his contacts, instead opting to gruffly give Ethan his usual directions. He'd put his ball cap on as soon as they got in the car. Ethan wanted to question him about it, but given the mood Lucas was currently in it would likely erupt into another argument.  
  
It didn't surprise him at all when he was directed into the parking lot of the Hyatt Place. Lucas was really going all out with the seemingly endless wads of cash he was being given.  
  
"This must be a hell of a vacation for you, huh?"  
  
Lucas was busy digging through his bag again. Pulling out some papers, he leafed through them until he found a new registration for the car and two new IDs. Without a word to Ethan, he tossed his ID at him and went back to rummaging around.  
  
When they got to the reception desk, Ethan pulled out his Nebraska license with the name Mark Daniels on it. They were checked in without any hassle and headed up to their room, Ethan being made to lug the beers up by himself.  
  
The first thing he noticed when they entered was that there were no twin beds. "Uh, Lucas? Is this the right room?", he asked, glancing around the area.  
  
"Yep.", was the only response he got.  
  
"Okay? There's only one bed."  
  
"No shit, Einstein. King was all they had left."  
  
Ethan sighed. He was hoping Lucas would drop the attitude at some point.  
  
"Where do you want these?" He held the beers out.  
  
"Try the fridge, dumbass." Lucas plopped himself down on the bed and started emptying his bag.  
  
"We've only got a mini fridge, these won't fit in there. Why'd you buy all this shit anyway?"  
  
Lucas got up and irritably grabbed one of the cases from him, dropping it onto the bed and tearing it open. "Well then, I suppose we're just gonna hafta start drinkin' this shit right now, ain't we?" He cracked one open and knocked it back.  
  
"You know we have to get up early again tomorrow. Why do we need all this fucking beer?"  
  
Lucas smirked at him and gave him a cocky wink. "We ain't checkin' out tomorrow. Got the whole place to ourselves for the next two days. The guys told me we should keep clear of the roads for awhile." He snatched up another can of beer and tossed it to Ethan. "So just relax, Ethan, okay? Mia's still gonna be there when we get to Montana."  
  
The other man hesitated a moment before opening his beer and taking a chug. "Not to be nosy, but why are we taking an extended stay? Seems we're on the run from someone, despite the fact that you work for these guys. I thought you said the company Mia works for isn't on good terms with them." He took another drink. "So why are we going straight to the enemy?"  
  
Lucas had already finished his first can of beer and was starting on his second. "Look Ethan, you already know more than ya ought'ta so I might as well just tell ya. The guys I'm workin' with ain't exactly gettin' on too well with certain members of the same company, so they're sellin' out to Mia's guys." He nervously adjusted his cap and looked away from Ethan's prying eyes. "An' as it turns out, these guys with Mia are kinda doin' the same with their company heads. Us three? We're bein' taken elsewhere's when we meet up so we don't end up in the middle of a bio-pharmaceutical war from hell, ya get me?"  
  
Ethan's temper was on the rise again. Trying to stay collected, he chugged back the rest of his beer and leaned back against the wall. "So _then_ what? What's going to happen to us? We get shipped off to the highest bidder and treated like lab rats for the rest of our lives?!"  
  
Lucas tilted his head at him and rolled his eyes. "Already told ya, _dumbass,_ we ain't gonna end up like that. We're likely gonna be quarantined and stay workin' close with these guys, but I highly doubt we're goin' back to the way things was. You can thank that lil' bitch Evie for that."  
  
Running a hand through his hair, Ethan slowly took everything in. He slid down the wall and absently tossed his empty beer can across the room.  
  
Lucas chuckled at him. "Aw, come on now, Ethan, you been through hell an' high water up to this point. You're gonna be on easy street from here on out, I promise!" He tossed him another beer. "You really need to relax, buddy. Come on up here an' we can play some cards."  
  
Hesitantly, Ethan pulled up a chair and sat at the edge of the bed.  
  
"What are we playing?"  
  
"Whiskey Poker." Lucas immediately started dealing out cards for the both of them, as Ethan took another drink.  
  
Nodding toward Lucas, he decided to gather his courage. "So... What's with the hat?"  
  
Lucas froze for a moment before continuing to deal. "What's it to you, Mr. _'professional engineer'_?"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Ain't s'posed to mean nothin', just that your type don't like us country boys. Think that's obvious enough..."  
  
Ethan dropped his cards in irritation. "Dude, _really?_ You're pulling this crap now?"  
  
Lucas still refused to meet his gaze, feigning a sudden close interest in his cards. "What d'ya mean, _dude?_ " He took a hefty swig of his beer and belched loudly. "I just don't want you to hafta look at my ugly old _balding_ head, Ethan."  
  
_'And there it is...'_ Ethan knew that little insult would come back to bite him in the ass.  
  
"Are you fucking serious? You're still fucking buttmad about that stupid comment I made?!"  
  
Lucas didn't respond, just looked through his cards with that infuriating fake smile plastered across his lips.  
  
"You know how pissed I was, right? Considering all the shit you've put me through, the people you've killed, the two-faced bullshit you pulled on your own family, letting them suffer while you spied on them..."  
  
The Baker son didn't even bat an eye, but Ethan could see that he was starting to irritate him again.  
  
_'Oh well, I'm on a roll now, no sense in stopping.'_  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sure you haven't forgotten about Oliver, right?"  
  
_That_ got a rise out of him. He jerked his head up and glared at Ethan, his pale blue eyes full of anger.  
  
Expecting a slew of insults, Ethan was surprised when Lucas merely looked back to his cards.  
  
"There's a name I ain't heard in years...", he mumbled. He was quiet for another moment before adding, "Ya shouldn't read other people's diaries, Ethan. Never know what you'll find."  
  
Ethan sat forward in his seat, his cards forgotten. "You were a murderer long before Eveline was in the picture. You can't kill a kid just because he was bullying you."  
  
Lucas refused to look up from his hand. Finishing his beer, he tossed the can into the ever-growing pile on the floor and cracked open another one. "You know what, Ethan? I was real little when that shit went down. Thought he'd get out on his own eventually. Never really understood the concept of death, just remember it stinkin' to high heaven after awhile. I went back up into that attic to see what was goin' on an' there weren't nothin' left of him, just a little pile of rotten meat an' some bones." He chugged down the rest of his can and tossed it to join the others.  
  
"I went an' got Zoe an' asked her to help me. We cleaned that shit up right quick, fed that heap to the pigs, an' that's when I told 'er what happened. We both agreed not to tell Mama an' Daddy." He nervously scratched at his stubble and went for another can of beer. "I ain't been right in the head since I was _born,_ Ethan. Been to so many doctors an shrinks it ain't even funny."  
  
Ethan just watched him for awhile. It was difficult to feel sorry for this man. "You know, when I was on that tanker with Mia I saw Jack again. He asked me to save his family, you included. He even insisted you weren't a killer either. Seems both he and your mother were in denial about what happened, considering your whole town was suspicious of you."  
  
Lucas snorted and dropped his cards on the bed. "The whole town knew what the fuck was up. We couldn't even go to church without people givin' us the stink-eye an' whisperin' about us in the pews." He rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I got beat up an' bullied the rest of my days in school. Finally ended up droppin' outta college it got so bad. Think I paid my dues on that one, Ethan."  
  
He looked up at the other man, his eyes full of resignation, that tired smile still upon his lips. It was clear he didn't want to argue any further.  
  
Blinking, Ethan looked down and sorted through his cards again, absently sipping at his beer.  
  
They played in silence for about ten minutes when Ethan remembered the whole reason they'd started talking in the first place.  
  
"You know you don't have to wear that stupid hat, right?"  
  
Lucas didn't even acknowledge him.  
  
"Look, I shouldn't have said that shit, it was way below the belt. If I could take it back I would."  
  
More silence.  
  
Ethan spread his arms in a shrug of annoyance. "Okay? It's not even that bad. It's not like you've got the horseshoe going on."  
  
Lucas slurped his beer. "I will someday.", he uttered. "Gonna end up lookin' just like my old man."  
  
"Come on, man, knock it off." He reached over and pulled the hat from his head, tossing it over the side of the bed.  
  
"Hey, hey, _hey!_ ", Lucas cried, trying to reach for it and failing miserably. "Ethan, you assclown!"  
  
"See? You look just fine. I don't see what you're so worried about. Hell, I had a friend in college start losing his hair way worse when he was only twenty-four."  
  
Lucas started running his hand forward through his hair in a fit of nervous self-consciousness. "Easy for you to say, _Ken._ You look like you just stepped right out of a Barbie box!" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Which reminds me! You ain't gonna have them pretty blonde locks for long, boy. We gotta cut your hair," He glanced up and tugged at a strand on his own head, "An' mine too. We gotta change up our looks a bit."  
  
Knocking back the rest of his beer, he belched and crushed the can against the side of his head, carelessly tossing it into the pile of aluminum on the floor. "Tomorrow! Don't think we ought'ta try that shit right now, know what I mean?"  
  
Ethan smirked and shook his head, glad that for once they weren't fighting. "Good thinking, Luke..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mad credit goes to Winter for pointing out that Ethan is indeed a systems engineer! It was just announced on ResidentEvil.net.
> 
> Also, there was supposed to be porn in this chapter. That didn't happen because I apparently get too carried away with the enjoyment of these two fighting with each other. I imagine banjos playing in the background every time they start up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW ahead.

It was much later that night when the both of them had passed the buzzing point and had gone into full-on drunkenness. Cards lay scattered across the bed and the floor, both men laughing their asses off about the most idiotic things they could come up with. It was the most they'd gotten along the entire miserable trip.  
  
"Y-you know what, Ethan? I bet there's some good porn on this late at night," he switched the channel from the movie they'd both forgotten they'd been watching. Immediately, an image of a woman getting her brains fucked out came on screen. Lucas raised an amused eyebrow, "Now _that's_ entertainment!"  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes and took another swig. "Man, you're really into this shit, aren't you?" He watched the show for awhile, tilting his head to focus his eyes at a better angle. The woman was screaming absurdly as she was bounced around the mattress. Swallowing, Ethan remembered the nights he and Mia spent together. It had been a _long_ time...  
  
He barely noticed his cock was beginning to stir.  
  
Likewise, Lucas was already getting hard. Absently, he palmed at his erection through his jeans and smiled, his half-closed eyes desperately trying to follow the action. "Yeah... I fuckin' love porn. I used to watch this shit everyday until stupid Zoe got on my laptop and threatened to tell Mom an' Dad," he took another drink, "Think she found some'a the gay shit, too."  
  
Ethan was barely able to comprehend what was going on in the movie anymore. All he could hear were the sounds. He leaned back against the headboard and finished the rest of his beer, feeling satisfyingly drunk and slightly aroused. It was a welcome feeling after all this time.  
  
"...I should take a shower," he mumbled, struggling to stand and make his way to the bathroom.  
  
"I ain't gonna stop ya," Lucas waved him off, still watching the show.  
  
As Ethan turned the shower on and stripped down, he checked the counter top by the sink and grabbed a small bottle of conditioner. He'd actually just made that excuse to go jack off.  
  
Getting into the shower was a feat in itself. Drunk as he was, Ethan had to grab onto every object available to him as he made his way in. Turning toward the water, he slumped down clumsily with his back against the wall, closed his eyes and started working himself.  
  
"Well now, if that ain't the cutest thing I seen in years..."  
  
He jumped and cursed loudly. There was Lucas, peeking in on him with a lewd grin on his face and his eyes blown wide.  
  
The other man stepped unabashedly into the shower and closed the curtain behind him. "Take it easy, Ethan," he laughed drunkenly and crouched down in front of him, "Matter of fact, I was just about to come in here to do the same thing."  
  
Ethan's eyes refused to focus properly. He clumsily made an attempt to stand that ended with him knocking over a still-wrapped bar of soap and a mini bottle of shampoo. _'Fuck it,'_ he thought bitterly. He was a man. He'd been through worse. Embarrassment was nothing to him at this point.  
  
"Damn if that girl on TV got me all hot an' bothered," Lucas said with a chuckle, "so how 'bout you an' I help each other out, hm?" In one quick movement he spread Ethan's legs and crawled on top of him, fitting their cocks together in his hand. "You just relax now, city boy. Trust me, I'm damn good at this."  
  
The first thing Ethan noticed was how cold and clammy Lucas' body felt. It was creepy and foreign to him, and seeing those grey hands wrapped around his dick was unsettling. He swallowed thickly and looked up. Lucas was face to face with him, pale blue eyes staring him down as though he were prey.  
  
Quickly adverting his gaze, he looked down to watch as Lucas expertly ran his thumb across both their heads, pressing down and sweeping back in a circular motion. He released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, closing his eyes and tilting his head back against the tile wall. It really _had_ been years.  
  
_'Fuck it. If he wants to get me off, who am I to stop him? Let him do the work.'_  
  
Ethan's mind wandered to Mia as he allowed Lucas to take him to bliss. He imagined her hands on him, her breath across his skin...  
  
He was jolted from his reverie when he felt cool lips against his throat. Lucas was working the both of them at a slow pace and he had now leaned in to kiss at Ethan's neck.  
  
_'Well, shit...'_  
  
Clearing his throat, Ethan made an attempt to speak, "Uh, Lucas?"  
  
There was no answer other than an equally cool tongue running up the column of his neck and wet butterfly kisses working their way back down. Ethan closed his eyes and sighed, eventually deciding to just give in. It certainly wasn't unpleasant.  
  
They remained like that for some time, rutting against each other like animals, their heavy breathing muffled by the shower water. Ethan gave a quiet grunt when the other man's fingers started to massage his balls and strongly make their way back up the base of his cock. Instinctively, he grabbed onto his wrists for some kind of support. Lucas was adding more and more pressure by the minute, strengthening his ministrations and sending Ethan's head into a spin. He yelped when he was bitten at his pulse point, Lucas' tongue carefully laving over it in apology.  
  
"Ah, _fuck..._ " Ethan whispered. He could feel his orgasm building under Lucas' strong hands.  
  
"Sshhh..." Lucas gently chided, whispering into his ear, "You're doin' fine, Ethan. Just relax..."  
  
His thumb went back to work on their sensitive tips, moving his other hand up to swirl a finger around Ethan's nipple and run across his torso, finally coming to a rest on his shoulder. With effort, he managed to pull his mouth away from the other man's bruised throat to watch his enraptured face as he came.  
  
With a gasp, Ethan erupted over their hands, Lucas following immediately after.  
  
"Holy _fuck_..." Lucas panted, "Good boy, Ethan! _Fuck_ , that was good!"  
  
They lay basking in the afterglow for a bit, Lucas slumped over Ethan, the both of them chuckling and trying to catch their breath again. Soon enough the shower was the only sound echoing in the room.  
  
Eventually, Ethan made the initial move to get up, awkwardly struggling to get out from under the Baker son's slender body. Lucas smiled at him and staggered to his feet as well, and the two of them showered together in silence. Drunk as they still were, they stumbled and laughed stupidly at each other, but no more words were exchanged. Ethan still couldn't bring himself to meet Lucas' eyes. He felt an odd sense of guilt.  
  
Lucas, on the other hand, couldn't seem to take his glassy eyes off of the young engineer. This was every filthy fantasy he'd ever had, standing right in front of him, and his attraction was only getting stronger. He'd only had one chance to screw around with another guy back in college, and he'd barely gotten to second base with him when his drunken roommates came bursting into his dorm right in the middle of it. The other guy was so freaked out he asked Lucas not to tell anyone about it and told him never to speak to him again.  
  
Not one week later, Lucas saw him with the same girl he'd lost his virginity to one year prior. Needless to say, he was crushed.  
  
Ethan had just finished washing his hair when Lucas rushed him and planted his lips square over his own, locking him into a deep kiss. He squirmed irritably in the taller man's embrace, his enhanced strength becoming painfully overpowering. He wrenched his head to the side only to feel those cold lips back on his neck. This was getting ridiculous...  
  
"Lucas, ease _up,_ man! Holy _shit!_ "  
  
Lucas immediately pulled himself back, loosening his arms from around Ethan's much more muscular frame. He smirked and offered a sheepish apology. Here he was, the skinny little rat everyone bullied and teased, now leagues stronger than men twice his own size. He couldn't say he disliked this power at all. It really was special.  
  
"I don't give a shit about relieving some tension but I really don't want your tongue down my throat, got it?" Ethan was already getting annoyed again, the pleasant, dizzy feeling of drunkenness beginning to wear off.   
  
Lucas just smiled at him, "Yeah..." He licked his lips and looked Ethan up and down, stepping closer to him. "I don't know 'bout you, Ethan..." he leaned right into his ear, "butI'm still fuckin' horny."  
  
"Of course you are," he growled as Lucas nipped at his ear.  
  
Not waiting for an answer, Lucas dropped to his knees and grabbed Ethan's hips.  
  
"Ever had a blowjob, Ethan?"  
  
Giving him an incredulous look, Ethan replied shortly.  
  
"What do _you_ think?"  
  
"Can't say I've ever given one to a guy before, but I seen it done a million times." He winked up at the other man. "Now you just sit tight and relax, Ethan. I don't bite."  
  
The other man swallowed. Well _that_ was an unnecessary statement... _Hopefully._  
  
He barely had the time to panic upon remembering that this man was a cannibal at one point, when Lucas swallowed his cock up whole. Ethan gasped and tensed up, grabbing him by the ears, " _Fuck,_ Lucas! What are you doing?!"  
  
Lucas immediately started gagging and pulled back, choking and coughing over the side of the tub. Given how much he'd been drinking, Ethan was afraid he'd throw up all over him.  
  
"Holy _shit,_ Ethan!" He pounded his chest a few times and wiped the tears from his eyes, "How do them girls _do_ this shit?!"  
  
Ethan gave him a flat look of irritation, "If I'm not mistaken, you're getting your info from porn again? Yeah, _no._ Those chicks are trained to do that. They've had tons of practice. Generally you don't need to take the whole thing like that."  
  
Lucas just laughed. "Okay, not bad for a first try! I'm gonna do it right this time, though." He knelt down once more and was about to wrap his bony fingers around Ethan's dick again when the other man unceremoniously shoved him away, knocking him onto his ass.  
  
Ethan laughed at the once terrifying son of the Baker family sprawled out clumsily on the shower floor. "Alright man, that's enough. I'm just not feeling it anymore."  
  
The hurt, dejected look on Lucas' face just then was priceless. Ethan sidestepped around him to shut the water off, grabbed a towel and proceeded to stumble his way back out to the room, Lucas' eyes following his every move.  
  
Ethan, with considerable effort, had managed to dry himself off and had just slipped into his boxers when Lucas finally made his way out of the shower. He leaned drunkenly in the doorway, watching Ethan with half-closed eyes.  
  
" _Eeeee-_ thaaaan~" he whined, "What'cha doin', buddy? Thought we were havin' fun?"  
  
"Fuck that, I'm done," Ethan grumbled, "Got what I wanted, now I'm gonna go pass out so I can puke my guts up in the morning." He pulled back the covers and practically fell into bed.  
  
That snapped Lucas out of his buzz. His eyes blinked open in anger. "What?! You can't do that to me, I still got a boner!"  
  
"Sounds like a personal problem to me," Ethan was already half asleep.  
  
Lucas stared angrily at him for a few seconds before stepping closer and stumbling against the vanity. "You are one cold-hearted son of a bitch, you know that, Ethan? The hell am I s'posed to do about this, huh?" He comically jiggled his cock in his hand.  
  
Ethan stirred and adjusted the blanket, "Go work it down? Never was a problem for you before. Seems like your specialty."  
  
Lucas' jaw practically hit the floor at the snarky comment. It took him awhile to regain his composure before he snapped back at the other man, "Y-you _fuckin'_ little _shithead,_ Ethan! Don't you start what you can't finish!"  
  
"Didn't start anything..." Ethan  mumbled, half conscious, "You're the moron that initiated all that shit, I didn't ask you to join me."  
  
Lucas could only stare stupidly at him, watching as he fell asleep right in front of him.  
  
"Y-you know what, Ethan? I-" He paused, too drunk to think of a good retort at this point, " _Fine!_ Fuck you, then!"  
  
He stalked angrily back into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door.  
  
_'That fuckin' little shit...'_ Lucas thought as he violently tugged at himself, _'The nerve of that- that... Fuckin' city-boy!'  
  
_ Okay, not his best insult, but at this point he didn't care. Being used and dumped seemed to be a chronic issue with him. He was getting tired of it. Those three girls he'd screwed around with in college, what were their names? Taylor, Whitney, and Maggie. Every one of them fucked him, took him for granted and left him. Same with that little pussy, Jeremy. He'd literally run from him after his roommates walked in on them. Lucas had tried texting him for two days after that and he wouldn't even grace him with a reply.  
  
Fucking shitbags, the lot of them...  
  
Closing his eyes, his thoughts drifted back to Ethan laying prone in the shower, his wet hair hanging over his eyes, his flushed skin, the way he panted and groaned deep in his throat, arching and bucking under his hands-  
  
With a loud sigh of relief he finished and leaned forward against the sink trying to catch his breath. Fucking, _Ethan_ , man... Lucas couldn't put his finger on what it was about this man that drove him so wild. It was frustrating to say the least. He seemed to fight against him every chance he got, the fucking moody bitch. They were constantly butting heads, and now that he knew the other man was not only an engineer, but a _better_ engineer, it just made him burn with jealousy. Ethan was not only incredibly attractive, but he was also married, successful, making a damn good income, _and_ he'd managed to escape from and make short work of all of his traps. He was infuriating but also worthy of respect.  
  
Maybe that's what it was. Lucas saw him as a worthy rival. It made him just want to eat him up alive, both literally _and_ metaphorically.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his rising anger and staggered back out into their room, clumsily flopping onto the bed and dragging himself closer to the other man.  
  
_"Ethan?"_ he whispered. There was no response.  
  
Huffing, he lazily slung an arm around Ethan's waist and pressed himself up against his back.  
  
_"'Night, Ethan..."_ he muttered under his breath. Kissing his shoulder, he settled in to sleep.  
  
\------------------------------------  
  
Shivering with cold, Ethan came awake with a splitting headache and a knot in his stomach. He blinked his eyes and took in his surroundings.  
  
There were mountains of beer cans all over the floor, clothing strewn about everywhere, messy plates and eating utensils stacked next to the dresser, and the TV was still on, the color bars signifying the end of the broadcast night.  
  
Ethan felt an icy chill against his body, even under the blankets...  
  
Suddenly, his eyes went wide at the realization of what it was.  
  
Glancing under the covers, he saw a sickly, greyish arm around him. Cool breath ghosted across the nape of his neck.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
He struggled to throw Lucas' arm off of him and pull himself free, only to succeed in falling over the side of the bed into a pile of empty beer cans.  
  
"Ow, _fuck!_ Son of a _bitch!!_ "  
  
Up on the bed he could hear Lucas' dorky laughter as he stirred into wakefulness.  
  
"Nice landin', dumbshit."  
  
Ethan struggled to stand, tripping up on another crushed can behind him. "Shut up, you fucking cocksucker!"  
  
Lucas propped himself up with one arm and yawned lazily, "Now that ain't true, Ethan. You wouldn't even let me give ya a BJ last night." He smirked knowingly at the other man.  
  
Ethan swallowed. He suddenly felt increasingly sick to his stomach and bolted for the bathroom.  
  
Lucas rolled his eyes, listening as Ethan purged the alcohol from his system. "Gee, _thanks_ Ethan. Didn't realize I was that disgusting."  
  
Several minutes later saw Ethan leaning heavily in the doorway and holding a hand to the side of his head. "What happened..." It wasn't a question so much as a statement.  
  
Lucas looked over his shoulder at him and smiled. "Well now, what's the matter, city boy? Can't hold your liquor?"  
  
Ethan gave him a glare that drained the sarcasm right out of him.  
  
Putting his phone down, Lucas flipped onto his back and leaned up against the headboard. "Ain't nothin' happened. If it did, you wouldn't be walkin' right now," he raised an eyebrow at him, "We jacked off together, that was it."  
  
Ethan scrunched his eyes shut, flashes of memories from the previous night going through his head.  
_  
A greyish, corpse-like body against his own, heated pleasure rising between his thighs, cold lips against his neck..._  
  
_'Mia...'_  
  
Ethan's eyes snapped open. He remembered now. He remembered those feelings, but the person he was thinking of wasn't Lucas at all.  
  
A new flood of emotions came over him then, feelings of guilt and shame over what he'd done. He was a married man, for Christ's sake, what was he thinking?! He glared irritably at the Baker son laying in bed with his hands interlaced behind his head. The smug son of a bitch knew what he was doing the whole time. The beer, the porn, _everything.  
  
_ "You sick sack of shit, you set me up!"  
  
Lucas gave him a puzzled look. "The fuck are you talkin' about, Ethan?"  
  
"You know damn well what I'm talking about! You've been trying to come between Mia and I for days, now. Telling me she's gone, she's started a new life, keeping anything regarding her a secret from me, trying to get me to forget about her..." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "I can't fucking believe you, man."  
  
Now it was Lucas' turn to get angry. Shaking his head, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Nope, _no,_ don't you even go there, Ethan. Now you listen, and you listen good..." He stood up and started walking over to fetch a pair of underpants, kicking beer cans out of his way, "I ain't had nothin' to do with you cheatin' on your wife, that was all _you_ , pretty boy. We was both drunk, you an' I, an' it just so happened that we were also horny as hell. You was havin' fun an' buckin' them pretty little hips against me just as I was doin' the same to you." He tugged a pair of jeans on next and glared bitterly at the other man, "An' guess what? Soon as you creamed all over the both of us you pushed me away like a used toy an' basically told me to fuck off," he spread his arms and took a step back, "An' that's just what I did."  
  
Ethan took the information in as he watched the hurt on Lucas' face becoming more apparent. He was right. He was just as guilty as Lucas. He could have kicked him out of the shower as soon as he crawled on top of him. Instead he merely used the other man to his advantage as a crude means to get off. He knew how Lucas felt about him and he'd led him on for the sake of convenience.  
  
To top it all off he'd been fantasizing about Mia the entire time Lucas was focusing all of his attentions on him.  
  
_'Man, how much more fucked up can my life get?'_  
  
"An' don't think I didn't hear you whisperin' Mia's name about twenty times. _That_ was real nice, Ethan," Lucas spat bitterly.  
  
Ethan began searching the room for a pair of pants. "She's my wife, dumbass." Glancing up he saw Lucas had knit his brows and was shaking his head in disbelief. "Sorry..." he mumbled.  
  
"Yeah, you're _sorry,_ " he snorted, "I'm sure..."  
  
Lucas turned to look for a shirt when he stepped barefoot right on top of a beer can. " _Ow!_ Goddamn _sonnavabitch!_ " He hopped on one foot while cradling his other in his hands. It wasn't a couple seconds later that he lost his balance and fell backwards right into the main pile with a tremendous crash.  
  
Ethan couldn't help it. He broke down laughing as he watched Lucas struggling pathetically like a turtle on its back.  
  
" _Fuck_ you, Ethan!" Lucas rolled onto his side and wobbled awkwardly on his hands and knees trying to navigate the aluminum pile before setting his feet back down on the carpet. He stood back up, immediately tripping and pinwheeling backwards into the bedside table, sending a lamp onto the floor. He looked down his nose at Ethan, desperately trying to maintain his dignity.  
  
Meanwhile, Ethan was doubled over with breathless laughter. He needed it right now. "You alright, man?" he asked between fits of chuckling and coughing.  
  
The other man was trying to keep a straight face, but upon seeing Ethan's face turning bright red with hilarity he couldn't hold back an amused smirk. "Glad you found that so funny, Ethan. Ya know, ya could'a helped me up."  
  
"Oh, _shit..._ " Ethan's laughter had finally died down and he started getting dressed, "Sorry, that was too perfect."  
  
"Perfectly fuckin' _stupid._ Should'a just stayed in bed," Lucas grumbled.  
  
Ethan had finished pulling a shirt over his head when he noticed a red stain on the towel that Lucas was standing on. "Hey," he pointed down at it, "You're bleeding."  
  
Lucas looked down absently at his foot, then looked back up at Ethan. "Yeah?"  
  
"...You're not going to do anything about that? You don't think anyone is going to think something's up when our hotel room is spotted in blood?"  
  
"Relax, Ethan. Holy shit, you're worse than my own Mama," he plopped back down on the edge of the bed and brought one leg across the other, elevating his foot for Ethan to see, "Just watch."  
  
Ethan made his way over to the bed and looked down at Lucas' foot. Already the flesh was beginning to knit itself back together, the jagged cut closing right before his eyes. Within mere minutes it was perfectly healed.  
  
"Ya see? That's why I said I don't wanna go back, Ethan. This here?" he pointed down at the smooth skin, "This here is special."  
  
Ethan blinked and looked down. He couldn't help but to think of poor Jack and Marguerite suffering from that terrible fungus, trapped within the confines of what was left of their sanity. The way Zoe had to watch them undergo that horrible change, as well as feel it slowly beginning to take her down that same twisted path.  
  
Deciding not to respond, he started gathering up some of the beer cans and tossing them into a nearby trash bin. Their room was an absolute disaster. He remembered Lucas putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door to dissuade housekeeping from coming in on their daily rounds.  
  
Lucas was silently watching him from his perch on the bed. Sitting up, he crossed his legs and grabbed a stray can from the end of the bed, tossing it against Ethan's head. He was getting grumpy again.  
  
The other man looked up at him in irritation for a moment before going back to his task. "Last night was a mistake," he muttered.  
  
"No fuckin' shit, Ethan..." agreed Lucas.  
  
"Finally, we agree on something." Ethan stood up and checked the carpet for blood before tossing the stained towel over toward Lucas' bag. "We'd better get rid of that, just in case."  
  
Lucas remained quiet, just watching Ethan with those sad eyes full of hurt and betrayal. Ethan could feel him watching him out of the corner of his eye. It was irritating more than anything. If the other man was trying to make him feel guilty, it wasn't working. The only thing Ethan felt guilty about was being unfaithful to Mia.  
  
"M'goin' back to bed." Lucas turned on his side and yanked the covers up over his shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Thanks for helping me clean up," Ethan replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He went back to work, making sure to throw the cans around as loudly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Porn is not my forte. Also, Ethan is a sass machine.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be posted last week but I was playing Outlast 2 at the time. We're back on track now, though!

Lucas had tossed and turned ever since he'd tried going back to sleep, his mind full of vivid, restless dreams involving a certain blonde engineer. He just couldn't get the images out of his head.

He dreamed of being back in the barn in Dulvey, Ethan tied to an examination table surrounded by TV screens and headless mannequins, squirming desperately in Lucas' arms as he was ravaged head to toe. His lips were parted in a silent scream as he was brought to the brink again and again. Every time he would be reduced to a gasping, trembling mess, whining Lucas' name and arching his hips up for more.  
  
_'Lucas?'_  
  
_'Ooh, Ethan... Ethan!'  
  
_ "What?!"  
  
Lucas came awake as his dream faded into the present reality of a brightly lit hotel room.  
  
"Mmf, Ethan?" he mumbled, rubbing his hand over his eyes.  
  
"What's the matter? You were calling my name." Ethan was sitting on the end of the bed watching TV.  
  
Lucas squinted at him in the bright room, trying to adjust his eyes. The other man was fully clothed and unrestrained. _  
  
'Fuckin' dirty dreams...' _ he thought bitterly, dropping his head back against his pillow. He huffed in annoyance when he realized he had another erection. Kicking the blankets off him, he got up and headed into the bathroom without a word to the other man, slamming the door shut behind him.  
  
_'Moody prick,'_ Ethan grumbled, turning up the TV. He'd cleaned up the beer cans, dumping most of them into the smaller waste bins around the room. Even the bin in the bathroom was overflowing. Luckily the effects of his hangover had been surprisingly minimal, considering this was the first he'd been binge drinking since college.  
  
He looked down at his crudely stapled wrist and wondered just how much Eveline's mold had affected him. He was able to heal a little bit quicker than usual so it may have also boosted his recovery rate from his hangover. It might also explain why Lucas seemed as though he'd not even been drinking at all the night prior. The man was practically immortal after all.  
  
Turning his attention back to the TV, he absently flipped through the stations looking for something slightly less depressing than the news.  
  
Several minutes later, Lucas came skulking back into the room, glaring at him the entire time. He hopped back up on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, folding his arms and crossing his legs, a tremendous pout on his face. He'd been jacking off so much lately that his dick was beginning to feel raw. Were it not for his ability to heal quickly he'd be in a tough predicament. Damn Ethan and his good looks...  
  
Watching the other man for awhile, he finally looked up to see what had his interest so focused, snorting with bitter amusement at the children's show featuring a little girl and a baby bear. He sat up and squinted to see the station identification in the corner.  
  
_'Disney Junior... You gotta be fuckin' kidding me.'_  
  
"The hell are you watchin', Ethan? Somethin' more on your level in terms of intelligence, hmm?"  
  
Ethan sighed, "There's nothing else on." In reality, he'd started watching the show in order to better clear the troubled thoughts from his mind and try focusing on what he would say to Mia when they finally reunited. He would have to tell her what happened, his guilty conscience was weighing too heavily upon him. The simplicity of the preschool show helped him to zone out and do just that.  
  
Lucas scoffed and shoved him with his foot. "Hmm, guess this is what it takes to be a fancy systems engineer, huh? In that case, reckon I'll be one too in no time!" He chuckled at his barbed insult.  
  
The other man didn't bother with a response, which only put Lucas in a crabbier mood.  
  
"Hey! Ethan! Ya go deaf or somethin'? I'm tryin' to talk to ya!"  
  
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to face him. " _What?_ " he snapped.  
  
Lucas snorted and looked him up and down with contempt. "Well, ain't you uppity today! Who pissed in your cereal?"  
  
"Leave me alone." Ethan turned back to the TV. He could still feel Lucas' eyes on him.  
  
"Yeah? Figures... Ya only want me around when it's convenient for _you_. Ya demonstrated _that_ well enough last night."  
  
Ethan shut the TV off and made to get up. "I don't want to deal with this right now."  
  
"Oh, we're _dealin'_ with this!" Lucas bolted from the bed and grabbed Ethan by the arms, yanking him back and spinning him around to face him before shoving him to the floor. "Got your attention _now,_ ain't I? Ya ain't runnin' from this, ya fuckin' little pussy! What did I tell you about bein' a _man_ , Ethan, huh?!"  
  
Staring up at the enraged man, Ethan felt a slight surge of panic run through him. It was easy to forget that Lucas was physically strong enough to lift him off the ground with one hand. Scrambling backwards, he tried to grab hold of a chair to steady himself, but when he made to get up he was roughly shoved back down.  
  
"You just stay the fuck down, boy!" Lucas shouted, "I don't need no more'a your tough-guy bullshit, ya get me? I could snap your fuckin' neck like a twig. _I'm_ the one in charge here, so you just shut the fuck up an' listen!"  
  
Ethan realized he was physically overpowered at this point. If Jack Baker was able to burst his way through walls and rip people apart with his bare hands it was safe to say that Lucas possessed the same strength. Pissed as he was, he needed to stay quiet and let the man say his piece.  
  
"You think playin' games with me is fun? _Huh?!_ " He gave Ethan a hard kick and pointed down at him, "You- you stupid little bitch-boy! I gave you everything and you wanna act like it ain't nothin' special?"  
  
Ethan received several more kicks before Lucas grabbed the first thing he could find off the TV stand and chucked it at him. He put his hands up in front of his face just in time for the remote to ricochet off and hit the dresser, leaving a good sized dent in the woodwork.  
  
"Lucas, calm the fuck down, man! You want the cops called on us?!"  
  
Lucas clenched his teeth and clawed at his eyes in frustration. "Fuck you! _Fuck you,_ Ethan!" He was so angry he was shaking at this point. He just wanted to rip Ethan limb from limb. Every heartbreak he'd experienced in the past was coming back to hit him all at once and it was so overwhelming that it made him want to hurt Ethan for how much he'd been hurt.  
  
"Look, just calm down, okay?!" Ethan begged, "You can't possibly think that drunken rutting we did actually meant anything, right? I've never reacted to any of your advances before, so why in the fuck are you freaking out _now?_ You know I'm married to Mia-"  
  
The mention of that name made Lucas snap.  
  
Bending down, he grabbed Ethan by the front of his shirt, drew his fist back and brought it forward so hard it sharply threw the other man's head to the side. Ethan fell limply to the floor as soon as his shirt was let go, knocked completely unconscious from the hit.  
  
"Think about _that_ for awhile, ya stupid son of a _bitch!_ " Lucas left him on the floor while he angrily started getting dressed, cursing under his breath the whole time.  
  
\---------------------------------------------  
  
Ethan was pulled slowly into the waking world by a familiar voice calling his name. He heard it, muffled and far-off, but still just enough for him to recognize it. He turned his head to the side, desperately trying to shake the blanket of fog and confusion from his mind.  
  
"Wakey, wakey, _Ken_..."  
  
That voice was closer now, off to his left. Upon trying to move any further, a sharp pain began to blossom from the center of his forehead and spread throughout his entire face and head. Opening his eyes only resulted in a blur of shapes and muted colors. He couldn't even see out of his left eye.  
  
" _There_ he is... Hey, _Ethan!_ C'mon buddy, come on back to me now. That's it, nice an' easy..."  
  
Ethan stirred some before fully coming awake, the blurred shape of Lucas Baker hovering over him.  
  
" _Maaan,_ " Lucas shook his head in admiration, "You gotta be made outta steel, Ethan! Holy shit..." Suddenly, something was thrust into his face, "Okay, Ethan... How many fingers we got?"  
  
His entire head pounding, Ethan tried to close his eyes and turn on his side. A surprisingly gentle hand was pressed to the side of his face, stroking his cheek and running a thumb over his bad eye.  
  
"Nonono _no_... C'mon now, Ethan, how many fingers?" There was a slight panic in Lucas' concerned voice.  
  
Squinting, Ethan tried to focus on the many different fingers in front of him, "Four?" he ventured.  
  
Lucas shook his head, "Nope, why don'tcha try it again."  
  
"...Five."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Lucas pursed his lips and shook his head again. "N-no, _Ethan._ Come on man, _focus._ " He cradled the other man's head in his hand and held the fingers on his other a bit closer, "Okay? Now... How many fingers am I holdin' up?"  
  
Ethan winced and tried to study the hand in front of him. Eventually the fingers stopped blurring together and he was able to clearly see.  
  
"Three."  
  
Lucas gave a heavy sigh of relief and grinned down at him. "Damn, Ethan! Scared the _shit_ outta me."  
  
The other man took a moment to get his bearings, blinking and looking around the room before he suddenly came alive in Lucas' arms, delivering a solid punch square into his face.  
  
Lucas' head was knocked to the side, but his body didn't flinch a bit. He remained steadily holding Ethan, even when a trickle of blood ran out of his nose. Slowly, he turned his head back to look down at the engineer and smiled.  
  
"Now that ain't nice, _Ethan..._ " he drawled. With lightening quick reflexes he was able to catch Ethan's fist in his hand as he tried for another punch. Crushing his fingers tightly into the other man's hand, he slowly bent his wrist back in warning, "That's enough 'a that shit, boy. Broke three fuckin' toes kickin' ya before. You're damn lucky I'm a quick healer 'else you'd 'a been thrown through that window." He gave a nod to the large sixth story window overlooking the parking lot.  
  
"Who the fuck was stupid enough to kick someone toe-first while barefoot?!"  
  
Ethan received a light slap for his comment. Lucas released his fist and pointed right in his face, "You watch your mouth, boy. I don't wanna have to knock ya out again." He gently caressed the side of Ethan's face in his hand and ran his fingers over his eye, "Already gave ya a hell of a shiner. Be a damn shame if I had to mess up that pretty face 'a yours anymore'n I already did." Knitting his brows in concern, Lucas took a closer look at the purple bruise around his eye and tutted in disapproval.  
  
Ethan winced and jerked his head away, "Get the fuck away from me..." he mumbled.  
  
Lucas frowned but he complied, standing up and stepping back to allow Ethan to sit up. "Don't try an' get up just yet," he mumbled, "You're just gonna stumble around an' fall over like an idiot. Give yourself some time."  
  
He headed over to the mini fridge and pulled out a beer can that he'd filled with water and chilled earlier. Wrapping a washcloth around it, he handed it over to Ethan without a word.  
  
Ethan glanced up at him and accepted it, holding it over his eye. He warily looked on as the Baker son padded over to the other side of the bed and retrieved his messenger bag. After rooting around for a bit, he pulled out a small pair of scissors and a comb before heading back over to Ethan. He looked down his nose at him, a silent warning not to fight.  
  
"We gotta give ya a haircut. You just keep that over your eye an' hold still, I ain't gonna stab ya."  
  
Tensing up, Ethan eyed the other man suspiciously as he stepped around behind him and sat down, his legs stretched out on either side of him.  
  
"How much are we talking here?"  
  
"Ain't much, just a trim. An' before ya ask, _yes,_ I know what I'm doin'. Zoe an' I been cuttin' each other's hair since we was kids."  
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes, the scissors clipping away at Ethan's hair the only sound in the room. Ethan watched the little bits of golden blonde fall into his lap and tickle at his ears. Lucas seemed to be running his fingers through his hair quite a bit more than necessary but he didn't bother commenting on it. So long as he wasn't groping at him he could deal with it.  
  
Lucas had a million thoughts running through his head as he clipped away, most of them rather indecent. He marveled at how soft Ethan's hair was and how the highlights shone metallic gold in the light. He leaned in close and inhaled the scent of shampoo, ocean-spice, and something exclusively _Ethan_.   
  
Then he looked down and noticed something that made him break into a wide, shit-eating grin. He'd just wait and let the other man find that one on his own. He couldn't wait to see his reaction...  
  
He glanced over at Ethan, who'd noticed how close his face was to his ear, and quickly sat back once again to finish what he'd started.  
  
"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm gettin' hungry," Lucas said, "What'cha want for lunch?"  
  
"I'm not hungry." Ethan muttered.  
  
"Ya gotta eat _somethin'_ , Ethan," Lucas gently chided, "My Mama always used to say an empty stomach ain't much good for the brain, know what I mean?"  
  
Ethan didn't respond.  
  
Lucas bit his lip in silent irritation but he wasn't about to give up. "Ever had frog legs? Them little fuckers is damn good all battered up an' deep fried. You Texas boys don't know nothin' outside of steaks an' shit." He smiled contentedly, continuing to clip away, happy just to be talking again.  
  
"We don't eat steak all the time, you know..." Ethan mumbled.  
  
"Yeah?" Lucas brushed a few stray hair clippings from Ethan's back and started to work his way to the other side of his head. "Bet you ain't never had gator before. Deep Cajun fried, all loaded up in spices... Hoo- _boy,_ now that's some good eatin'!"  
  
Ethan finally started to speak up a bit, "You guys really eat that stuff? I always thought that was an exaggeration."  
  
Lucas gently turned Ethan's head to the side to get a better angle. "No sir, most of us that grew up in the swamps are used to that kinda shit. Me an' Dad used to go gator huntin' together. I was never no good at it though, so he'd just let me catch crawfish for soups an' shit. I can make a mean pan-fried catfish, too!" He shook his head and smiled, " _Man_... I'd love to cook somethin' up nice for ya, Ethan. Give ya a _real_ taste of the bayou." He ran the comb downward through Ethan's hair, clipping here and there as he went. "How 'bout you, city-boy? Betcha can't hardly boil water, can ya?"  
  
"I can make some pretty good chili. I usually make it pretty hot though. Mia always said it was like eating magma on a plate." Ethan smiled at the memories of he and Mia in the kitchen, stepping around each other and giving humorous snarky advice on how to make the other's dish taste better.  
  
Lucas frowned. "I'd _never_ complain 'bout anything you made for me, Ethan. Wouldn't care none if your chili set me on fuckin' fire." He bitterly combed through the thicker hair on top of Ethan's head. "You an' me together? We'd be like the desert meets the bayou. Just imagine what we could come up with!" Leaning back, he patted Ethan's head, "Alright, all done! Go on an' check it out~"  
  
Ethan slowly got to his feet, Lucas rising up behind him to help keep him steady. He led him into the bathroom and leaned smugly in the doorway, arms folded across his chest and a mischievous smirk on his face.  
  
The first thing Ethan noticed was the dark bruise over his eye. The swelling had started to go down some, thanks to the chilled can of water, but it was still rather prominent. No way were they not going to attract attention at this rate. With a heavy sigh he looked at his newly cropped hair. It wasn't too bad, actually. The sides were cut closely and the top was a bit longer, brushed forward with just a touch of fuzzy spike to it.  
  
Then something on his neck caught his attention. There, just at the base of his throat was a very dark, very visible hickey. His eyes went wide in horror and he leaned in closer to see the individual teeth marks lining either side of the purple monstrosity. A few smaller bruises littered his neck and shoulder.  
  
"What the _fuck?!_ " he shouted.  
  
"Oh, did I forget to mention? You're one'a my favorite things to eat too, Ethan!" Lucas doubled over in cruel, mocking laughter, his face turning a shade darker as he watched the other man's temper rise.  
  
"Are you fucking shitting me?!" Ethan whirled on the other man, "What the fuck is _wrong_ with you? How am I supposed to hide this?!"  
  
Lucas was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. He leaned heavily in the doorway trying to regain control and speak but it was useless.  
  
Ethan was _furious._ He chucked a bar of soap at Lucas and turned back to look at the damage he'd done to his neck. "Why the fuck did you feel the need to do this?! You just didn't get enough from all that jacking off you did, _Dracula?!_ "  
  
"Oh shit, Ethan..." Lucas was coughing and slapping his chest, still trying to speak coherently through his laughter, "Y-you shoulda seen the look on your face!"  
  
"It's not fucking funny you _asshole!_ How the fuck am I supposed to explain this to my _wife?!_ "  
  
Lucas arched his brows and backed out of the doorway with his hands up, still shaking his head and laughing like a jackass, "Now, j-just take it easy, Ethan, ain't no need to get all bent outta shape," he coughed out another chuckle, "That little thing's gonna be all healed up in no time. Mia ain't gonna see shit, so just relax, alright?" Rolling his lips in, he gave Ethan a devilish look, "But don't you worry none, Ethan. If she decides she wants a divorce, I promise you I'll be right there to snatch you up for myself."  
  
"You are a fucking _pervert!_ "  
  
That comment made Lucas' amusement fade pretty quickly.  
  
"Aw, shut the hell up, boy! Are you still on that? I told ya it wasn't nothin' you couldn't have stopped at any time. You knew just what you were doin' the whole while, so quit blamin' me."  
  
Ethan groaned in irritation and clapped his hands to his eyes, rubbing them down his face and neck. He hated it when Lucas was right about anything. " _Why_... Why of all people did you decide to have an infatuation with _me..._ "  
  
Lucas leaned back against the doorframe, arms crossed in irritation. "Didn't _decide_ nothin', dumbass. I been crushin' on you ever since you opened them pretty brown eyes of yours at our supper table, Ethan. I ain't had no control over that, don't be fuckin' stupid!"  
  
"Okay, _fine,_ I get that," Ethan gave him an exasperated look, "but you know I'm not gay, right?"  
  
Lucas shrugged. "Neither am I. What's your point?"  
  
"My point is that you _know_ I'm not into guys."  
  
" _Do_ I know that? Ya knew I been wantin' a roll in the hay with you for awhile now, Ethan. But instead of turnin' me away like ya _should'a_ done, you decided to open yourself up to me like a whore in heat," Lucas sadly shook his head, his blue eyes once again full of hurt and anger, "'An here I thought I finally had me a sliver of a chance with someone. I'd give damn near anything to have you bouncin' in my lap like you was ridin' a bull at the rodeo, but ya know as well as I do that ain't gonna happen," he raised an eyebrow at him, " _is_ it, Ethan?"  
  
Ethan turned his back on him and leaned forward against the sink. He stared into the mirror for a moment as the realization of Lucas' true feelings came crashing down upon him.  
  
God, he was such an _ass._  
  
"Alright, alright... I guess I do owe you an apology. I didn't realize you felt that strongly."  
  
" _'Course_ ya didn't..." Lucas scoffed, "Ya never were the observant type. Hell, I seen ya pass up all sorts of medical supplies and ammunition when ya needed it the most. Fuckin' _dipshit._ "  
  
"I _get_ it, Lucas..."  
  
"Ya know, if it weren't for me you'da been dead a long time ago. You realize that _I'm_ the one who put some'a that shit out for you to find? Seein' how you was too dumb to see half them bandages an' chem fluids sittin' in crates an' in tool boxes... I was real nice an' I even set em' out on top of open tables an' up on shelves an' shit so ya could find 'em."  
  
Ethan blinked. "Wait... _You_ tried to help _me?_ " He sneered and threw his arms up in frustration, "What the fuck, you were trying to kill me! Why would you have left anything out for me?"  
  
Lucas gave a shrug of nonchalance, "Dunno. Just wanted to see how far you'd make it through all them traps I set out. I really just liked watchin' ya."  
  
Ethan just glowered at him for a moment. Seeing that Lucas wasn't reacting at all to his obvious irritation he finally gave a sigh of resignation and leaned back against the sink.  
  
"Anyway, I'm sorry. For using you, I mean. I honestly had no idea you liked me that much."  
  
"Yeah, neither did I..." Lucas huffed a laugh and sheepishly scratched at the back of his head, looking down at the floor, "Didn't realize how bad I had it 'til it hit me like a fuckin' truck outta nowhere."  
  
Ethan watched him for a moment. He was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation despite the fact that he'd initiated it. "You were saying you used to have a couple girlfriends in college, so I'm assuming you've had crushes before?"  
  
"Nothin' like this." Lucas gave another humorless laugh and swallowed nervously. He glanced up at Ethan, immediately averting his gaze when their eyes met. "A- _aaaany_ way...", he said in a playful sing-song voice, "suppose that's enough'a that for now. I say we get us some lunch. Whatta'ya say, Ethan?" He turned and walked out into the room, still unable to look the other man in the eye.  
  
Ethan was more puzzled now than ever. He blinked incredulously as he watched Lucas grab a room service menu off the dresser and playfully hop up on the bed, bobbing his head along to some imaginary song only he could hear. He'd never seen the conceited Baker son so nervous before.  
  
Looking back into the mirror, Ethan studied the damage done to his neck and eye. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. If Lucas was going to be this dangerous and unpredictable all the time, he had one hell of a wild ride ahead of him on this trip.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I received a lovely fanart of Lucas from the ever-awesome [Callipy!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callipy/pseuds/Callipy) Just look at how adorable he is~ Thank you again, dear!


	8. Chapter 8

Lucas felt like his mind was going a million miles a second. Why had he done that?! Why did he spill his emotions like that, right in front of Ethan? Ethan was the _last_ person on earth he wanted to know about his deepest, darkest, innermost thoughts. He should have just shut his mouth and let him sulk in front of his stupid children's show. Now his heart was out there, bared for the world to see.  
  
Still preoccupied with staring blankly at a menu he wasn't even reading, he glanced out of the corner of his eye. Sure as shit, there was Ethan, pretending nothing was wrong as he busied himself with folding up a few clothing items and trying to avoid eye-contact.  
  
Lucas had somehow made their situation even more awkward than it already was.  
  
 _'Shit...'_ he mumbled under his breath.  
  
Clearing his throat, he decided to man up and try lifting their spirits a bit.   
  
"Okay Ethan, what'cha hungry for? I'm thinkin' 'bout gettin' me some pizza...", he glanced over the back of the menu and rested his finger on it, "'an some cheesecake. How 'bout you?" He chanced a look up at the other man.  
  
"Not hungry." Ethan had his back turned, continuing his pointless busywork.  
  
Lucas just gave him a flat stare. "Told ya before, Ethan, ya gotta eat. Now come on over here an' pick somethin' out."  
  
"I said I don't want anything." Ethan glanced over at the other man for a second before going back to his task.  
  
Pursing his lips, Lucas tried desperately to hold his temper. He'd already knocked the poor guy out and given him a black eye. Little wonder he didn't have much of an appetite. Hard to eat when one was so pissed off.  
  
With a deep breath he took a different approach. "Listen man, I know ya ain't too happy with me right now, an' I can't say I blame ya. But ya gotta get somethin' in your stomach. You been eatin' like a Goddamn bird for the last couple days. We're gettin' back on the road tomorrow, so you're gonna need your energy, ya hear? Now get your ass over here an' find somethin' ya like before I order somethin' _for_ ya!"  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes and dropped the folded clothes onto the floor like a stubborn teenager before stalking over and grabbing the menu from Lucas. Barely glancing over it, he quickly pointed something out and dropped it back into Lucas' lap. "Quesadilla."   
  
Lucas watched him stomp back over to the other side of the room with an amused smirk on his face. "You better watch it, boy. Keep that shit up an' I'mma put you over my knee an' spank ya _good_..."  
  
"Try it and the cops will be up here faster than you can blink."  
  
"Ooh, fuckin' _saucy!_ " Lucas waggled his eyebrows at him and stood up, "Alright, come on, I gotta chain ya up real quick." Grabbing the cuffs from his bag, he jangled them in his hand.  
  
Ethan sneered at him, "What for?!"  
  
Stepping closer, the Baker son got right in his face and spoke barely above a whisper, "'Cause I gotta go down the hall an' fetch some ice for that eye'a yours," he raised his brows and looked him right in the eye, slowly backing him up against the wall, "An' I don't want no trouble outta you while I'm gone. I seen what kinda damage you're capable of when you're good an' mad, _Ethan_..." He seductively whispered his name and looked him up and down for a moment, taking the young engineer by surprise long enough to grab his wrist and lock it to the bedside table in one swift movement.  
  
Glaring daggers at the other man, Ethan sat on the edge of the bed and remained silent. Lucas would never get the satisfaction of seeing how much he was pissing him off.  
  
Lucas cackled mockingly at him and roughly patted his cheek, narrowly avoiding getting another deck across the face. "Alright, alright, that's enough'a that, boy. Think we've taken enough swings at each other for one day, don'tcha think?" He stepped back and searched the floor for his hoodie, snatching it up and pulling his arms into it, "I'mma be right back, ya hear? An' don't you worry none about the food, _I'm_ gonna order for us this time." Zipping his sweater up, he pulled the hood over his head and grabbed his hotel key from the bedside table. He glanced over his shoulder at Ethan. "Now don't you go nowhere~" Laughing at his own snide remark, he slipped out the door and was gone.  
  
Ethan flipped him off and growled in frustration. He felt that he wasn't getting any closer to Mia or the answers he wanted and things were only getting more complicated. Now with Lucas confessing his feelings toward him it would serve to make things that much more strained between them. He really didn't need _that_ bomb dropped on him on top of everything else.   
  
Leaning back, he closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.   
  
\----------------------------------------------------  
  
Lucas had returned a few short minutes later with a small bucket of ice. Wrapping some into a washcloth, he gave it to Ethan and instructed him to hold it over his eye while he dialed room service and ordered lunch.  
  
Ethan was released from his bonds and he helped Lucas to clear the junk off the bed so they could eat. When lunch arrived, Ethan found that Lucas had not only ordered his quesadilla, but he'd gotten him an additional bag of chips, a fruit cup, a cookie nearly as big as his head, and a small bottle of water. When he looked up questioningly at the other man he merely got a wink in response.  
  
Recalling a conversation he had with Mia ages ago when she had returned from a business trip in Mississippi, she couldn't stop gushing about how kind and welcoming people had been there. They always wanted to feed her and make her feel at home. Southern hospitality was still alive and well, apparently. It seemed Lucas had some of that instilled in him from his mother, and he wasn't about to let Ethan go hungry on his watch.  
  
Lucas didn't hesitate to dig in, keeping a close eye on his charge as he did so. Ethan knew he'd get nagged at if he didn't at least try, so he took a few small bites of his quesadilla and some of his fruit.  
  
"So where are we headed tomorrow?" he ventured.  
  
"South Dakota," Lucas mumbled around his food, "An' from there we go to Wyoming. I know it's outta the way but my boys tell me that the more we zigzag the less chance we got of bein' caught."  
  
"Caught by who, exactly? It feels like we've been on the run for awhile now... Is it Mia's company?"  
  
Lucas merely nodded his head, "Yep. No doubt the jig is up and these guys all found out about each other already. Best we keep movin' quick as we can. Sooner we get to Mia, the better for all of us, know what I mean?" He glanced down at Ethan's plate, "Now that's just pathetic, Ethan... Go on an' finish your quesadilla an' at least some'a that fruit. You're gonna be skinnier'n me at this rate!"   
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was much later that night after they'd eaten dinner and showered that Lucas had finally started packing up his things in preparation for their departure the following morning. He'd been unusually quiet after he'd gotten out of the shower. Ethan watched as he nervously crammed his belongings into his messenger bag, looking around on the floor for any forgotten items.   
  
"Everything alright?" Ethan ventured.  
  
" _Fine..._ " snapped Lucas, "Just gettin' the last of my shit together."  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes but he didn't press the issue further. Changing into a t-shirt and boxers, he gathered up a couple of pillows and headed over to the floor on the other side of the bed.  
  
"What the hell are ya doin', Ethan?" Lucas watched him, his face full of indignation, "Get your ass on up here, I ain't gonna rape ya for fuck sake!"  
  
As per usual, Lucas had stripped down to his underwear, but had thankfully been kind enough to spare Ethan the view of his cadaverous body by wearing a tank-top as well. His pale blue eyes followed Ethan as he reluctantly crawled into bed, scooting as close to the edge as possible.   
  
Lucas huffed, "You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself, don'tcha, Ethan? _Asshole..._ "  
  
He hopped up into bed and pulled the covers up to his middle, laying back with a sigh.   
  
"Did you remember to set the alarm?" Ethan asked, his back still turned to him.  
  
"Yeah..." Lucas spoke softly. He had a million thoughts going through his head. Anxiety wracked his mind and a dull ache pestered him from behind his eyes. He was finally beginning to worry as the gravity of their situation hit him. Not just his jumbled emotions regarding Ethan, but their actual 'mission'. Something was wrong on the other end of things. His contacts hadn't said a peep to him since the morning prior. It wasn't like them at all.  
  
Glancing over at the other man, he watched him for awhile before making the move to spoon up against him and wrap an arm around him.  
  
"Hey, what the _fuck?!_ " Ethan snapped. He sat up and shoved at him, "Get off me!"  
  
"Aw, _c'mon_ Ethan! It ain't like I'm tryin' to play hide the sausage, here! I just wanna hold ya, alright?" He looked up at the other man with sad, pleading eyes, "Please? Just for tonight?"  
  
Ethan glared down at him for a moment. The Baker son looked almost... _frightened._ His eyes were filled with worry, and the wrinkles in his forehead and fine lines in his face seemed more prominent somehow. This wasn't just selfish begging. He could tell something was off.  
  
With a sigh of resignation, he flopped back down on his side, deciding he'd talk to the man about it tomorrow.   
  
" _Fine_... Just keep your hands to yourself, alright?"  
  
Without a word, Lucas pulled Ethan closer to him and wrapped his arm around his waist. He gave him a tight squeeze and buried his face into his shoulder as the troubled thoughts in his head slowly faded away into sleep.  
  
\-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
Lucas awoke with a knot in his stomach. He'd slipped in and out of a nervous, fitful sleep all night. Even having Ethan as his personal teddy bear couldn't quell the rising fear that something terrible was on the horizon.  
  
He immediately reached under his pillow for his phone and checked for any new messages, cursing under his breath when he saw nothing in his inbox. Looking over at Ethan, who he still had his arm around in a death-lock, he could see the other man was still fast asleep. He allowed himself an affectionate smirk. Pressing himself closer, he held his phone out and snapped a few dozen pictures of he and Ethan snuggled up together in bed before reluctantly shaking him awake.  
  
"C'mon, sleepyhead, we gotta get up." His voice was gravelly from sleep.  
  
Ethan blinked into wakefulness and sat up. Looking down at the pale arm still lazily slung around his middle, he turned his head to the side only to jump at Lucas' face being _right there_ , smiling contently at him. His eyes were half-closed and he licked at his dry lips before croaking a sleepy; "...'Mornin'."  
  
" _Hey_." Ethan immediately broke eye-contact and removed the clammy arm from his midsection, backing away from the other man and scooting off the bed.  
  
Lucas watched him carefully, his eyes following his every move as he headed into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Grinning, he rolled over and dug through his bag until he found what he was looking for. Taking out Ethan's phone that the ungrateful little bastard _still_ hadn't asked to have back, he switched it into camera mode and pulled his underpants down to take a few more dick pics. He'd been loading Ethan's phone up with them for the last few days, including a couple of videos of himself masturbating. He'd already looked through all the nudes of Mia, several times over, as well as admired the two lone dick pics of Ethan's that he'd sent back to her ages ago. He couldn't wait until Ethan tried looking into his old images again.  
  
Putting the phone back into his bag, his hand brushed against the rough fabric of a secret project he'd recently started working on. This was something personal to him. Ethan would never know of its existence, so long as he could help it...  
  
The sight of Ethan returning from the bathroom had him quickly stuffing his little trinket into the bottom of his bag. He looked up at him and smiled. "Hey now, look at you, pretty boy! That eye'a yours is already clearin' right up. Looks like Evie's 'gift' is workin' its magic on you, too."  
  
"All the more reason we need to get our asses moving. I don't want to end up like your folks," Ethan nodded over toward Lucas' bag, "Got any more clothes in your wonder-bag there?"  
  
Lucas was staring at him again. Blinking his eyes, he snapped himself back to reality. "Hm? Oh! Y-yeahyeahyeah, hang on a sec..." The Baker son cleared his throat and rooted around until he found a white button-up shirt similar to the one Ethan had been wearing when they'd first met. Smiling, he tossed it over to the other man. "Here ya go, try this on."  
  
He watched as Ethan slipped his shirt on. Lucas couldn't understand how he'd gotten so attached to him. He genuinely _liked_ the guy. Sure he was attractive, but he'd been attracted to many other people in his life. What was it about Ethan that was so intriguing?  
  
"You're staring again. Knock it off, Luke." Ethan gave him a stern glare.  
  
Lucas shook himself from his thoughts and looked down at his bag, mumbling an apology as he searched for something to wear.  
  
\--------------------------------------------------  
  
Not an hour later they were back on the road, Ethan flooring it a little too much for Lucas' liking.  
  
"Ethan, _buddy,_ take it easy, will ya? We're gonna end up gettin' pulled over at this rate!"  
  
"We'll be fine, I know this car like the back of my hand. You just keep an eye out for any speed traps and patrol cars. We're getting the fuck through this if it's the last thing we do."  
  
Lucas tilted his head at him and gave him a bitchy look. "Fuckin' _really,_ Ethan? C'mon man, you're gonna get us killed! We ain't gonna be much better off if we crash up an' burn before we even get there! Just calm down an' mind your speed, alright?"  
  
Ethan irritably pursed his lips but he slowed down nonetheless. Once again, the annoying man-child was right.  
  
Lucas smiled conceitedly at him, his ego getting bigger by the minute. He'd one-upped Ethan several times now.   
  
"You gotta ease up with that thick head'a yours rushin' into things, kiddo. Seen ya get yourself into the _damnedest_ situations back in Dulvey doin' that kinda shit," he pointed a thumb to his own chest, " _I_ ain't never had that problem. Always thought ahead 'bout everything I wanted to do."  
  
"I just want to _get there,_ " Ethan growled.  
  
"I know, I _know_ ya do, Ethan," Lucas said calmly, "but runnin' headlong into danger in the hopes of surviving what comes is just stupid, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I _know_..."  
  
"Ya gotta start usin' your head, Ethan! I know ya don't like me much, an' I can't say I blame ya none, but I'm beggin' ya here... If ya do _anything_ at all, just _try_ an' trust me, alright? I ain't lied to ya yet, Ethan. I teased ya plenty but I ain't never lied to ya." Lucas sat back and turned his head to look out of his window.  
  
Ethan took a deep breath and processed the information. Begrudgingly, he admitted that Lucas had a good point.  
  
They drove along for several minutes when Lucas finally broke the chilled silence between them once more.  
  
"Ethan?"  
  
"What's up?"  
  
The Baker son turned to look over at him. "Do you, uhhh... You think I'm good lookin'? I-I mean like... y'know, not particularly ugly but just... at least somewhat attractive?"  
  
Ethan blinked in surprise and looked questioningly at the other man. "What?" he laughed.  
  
Biting his lip, Lucas closed his eyes in frustration and spoke as though trying to get a small child to understand, "What I _mean_ is, if you were a girl would you think I was cute?"  
  
"What brought this on all of a sudden?"  
  
"Just answer the _question,_ Ethan! _Do. You. Think. I'm. Attractive_ _?_ "  
  
Ethan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know... I guess? You look a little scary, to be honest, but definitely not ugly." He looked over at Lucas, hoping to God he hadn't offended him. Another car argument was not something he was looking forward to.  
  
Surprisingly, Lucas smirked at him. "You're so fuckin' cute, Ethan... Seriously though, do I really scare ya? I mean, I actually used to look human, believe it or not," he glanced in the passenger side mirror and furrowed his brows. The car behind them had been following them for some time and it looked to be gaining some speed...  
  
Keeping his eyes on his mirror, Lucas continued, though his voice was quieter and somewhat distracted.  
  
"I mean, I was always skinny like this, but I was never this pale. I was pale but not _white_ pale, just... _pinkish_ pale, know what I mean?" he laughed nervously, "I ain't never had all these spider veins and splotches an' shit, neither. An' my eyes..."  
  
Ethan looked over at him as he trailed off. "Everything okay?"  
  
Lucas had turned in his seat to look back behind them. He watched the other car for a bit before turning back around with a disturbed look on his face. He was noticeably breathing heavier.  
  
"Lucas? What's up?" Ethan looked in the rear-view mirror at the car behind them.   
  
"N-naw, everything's fine," Lucas fumbled in his bag for his phone, "just... just keep goin' straight for now."  
  
A bolt of discontent went down Ethan's spine. Lucas usually only stuttered when he was angry or nervous about something. Whatever was going on with the car behind them, it had frightened him a great deal.  
  
"You sure everything's alright?"  
  
Lucas had started scrolling through his texts, cursing when he seemingly wasn't able to find what he was looking for. Instead, he pulled up his GPS and checked their location. "...Relax, baby, okay?" he mumbled distractedly.  
  
Ethan immediately snapped at him. " _Don't_ call me that. Don't you _ever_ call me that, got it?"  
  
Ignoring his irritation, the other man barely afforded him a glance before nodding in the direction of a road sign to their left. "Turn here, we're gonna stop at this station up ahead."  
  
Ethan did as he was instructed, the both of them watching their mirrors as the car behind them followed them into the turn. Lucas was visibly uneasy at this point, swallowing thickly and staring gravely ahead in dead silence. Whenever Lucas showed a fear of something Ethan knew there was major cause for concern.  
  
Pulling into the station, the other car was still right behind them as it drove slowly over to the other side of the parking lot and stopped at the curb across from the building. Lucas put his hood up and insisted on Ethan following him inside. Heading in, they couldn't clearly see what the driver of the other car looked like, but they made no move to get out.  
  
"Let's just hang out here awhile," Lucas glanced nervously through the window at the car, "see if they fuck off somewhere's else."  
  
"Anyone you know?" Ethan questioned, "Maybe they're with your company?"  
  
Lucas shook his head. "Not one'a my guys, they ain't never acted like that," he looked over at Ethan, distress written all over his face, "I ain't heard a peep outta any of 'em since yesterday mornin'. That's what's got me worried, Ethan..."  
  
Ethan snarled at him in anger. "What the _fuck,_ Lucas?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"  
  
Lucas grabbed him by the arm and led him down the isles toward the coolers in the back. "Shhh, ease the fuck up, city-boy! The reason I didn't say nothin' is 'cause I knew you'd flip the fuck out," he placed his hands on Ethan's arms and tried to calm him, "just try an' relax, okay? Gettin' all worked up ain't gonna do either of us any good."  
  
Ethan looked away from him and started biting his lip in agitation. Lucas gripped his arms tighter and pulled him in close to look him right in the eye.  
  
"C'mon Ethan, _look_ at me," he ran one hand through his hair in a calming manner and lowered his voice, "I _know_ this is a tight spot right now, but ya gotta keep it together, baby-boy."  
  
"Did you just fucking call me _'baby-boy'_?" Ethan sneered in disgust and pushed him away, "Call me that again and we're gonna have one _hell_ of a fucking scene, got it?"  
  
Lucas just smirked wickedly and looked up at him under the shadow of his hood, "Gee, sorry, _baby_... Guess I just figured with Mia always talkin' to ya like a little boy you'd feel more at home."  
  
Ethan turned to walk away from him and bumped right into someone in a ball cap and hood. "Shit, sorry..." he mumbled. The person just kept right on walking, brushing past Lucas as though he were the most repulsive thing on the planet. Lucas tilted his head and watched them walk away, his eyes squinted in suspicion.  
  
Still looking back at the mysterious figure, Lucas walked over to Ethan. "Ya alright, Ethan?"  
  
"Yeah, fine..." His eyes trailed them as they walked out the front doors and headed straight for the car that had been following them, " _that_ was weird..."  
  
Still watching the person as they started to drive off, Lucas slung his arm around Ethan's shoulder and steered him away toward the auto care section. "Stay close, alright?"  
  
Ethan watched as Lucas started looking through a set of Allen wrenches, checking to see which ones had the better length and thickness. When he leaned back against one of the racks he heard the faint crinkle of something in his pocket. Curious, he looked down and reached for the tiny scrap of paper. He hadn't remembered putting any receipts in his pockets, not to mention the jeans he was currently wearing were brand new.  
  
He unfolded the paper to find a short note:  
  
 _'Ethan,  
  
Stay on the main highway, do not take any other turns until you cross the state line, do not head west. They're waiting for you there and you will be in danger.  
  
Don't tell Lucas.'_  
  
"Now _that's_ more like it! Just what I was lookin' for..." Lucas gave a low whistle as he admired the Phillips screwdriver in his hand. He checked the width with his fingers and poked at the tip.   
  
Ethan swallowed nervously. What the hell did Lucas need with a screwdriver all of a sudden?  
  
Quickly tucking the note away, he wandered over a couple more isles to look absently through the candy that he wasn't even hungry for. It seemed the entire day had just taken a turn into odd country...  
  
"Hey buddy, I told ya to stay close! The fuck ya doin'?"  
  
Lucas was glowering at him, his screwdriver and several bags of chips in his arms. Ethan cleared his throat and tried not to look suspicious. "Sorry, just looking around."  
  
Lucas searched his face for signs of dishonesty before grabbing his arm again and yanking him along after him. "Swear to _God_ , Ethan, you really are just as annoying as a little kid..."  
  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Things had been going smoothly after they'd gotten back on the road, until Lucas took notice of the car that had followed them to the gas station again. Luckily, it seemed to be hanging back in traffic a bit, not following them as directly as before. It was apparent that whoever was driving had some sort of connection to their plan.  
  
"You're sure this isn't one of your guys?" Ethan asked again, glancing into the rear view mirror. He still hadn't said a word about the note in his pocket. Thinking about it now, he was sure it was from whoever it was that was currently following them. If so, this person knew who they were and where they were going.  
  
"Already told ya it ain't one'a mine! Dunno who the fuck this asshole thinks he is, but he ain't gonna touch us, Ethan... I'll fuckin' _kill_ him!"  
  
Ethan swallowed nervously. He could tell by the way Lucas was constantly checking his phone that their turn was coming up. The note had instructed him to stay on the path they were currently on without heading west and not to tell Lucas, but if that were the case, how was he supposed to deviate from their planned route without the other man throwing a fit? How did he know he could trust this person who'd made no effort to communicate with Lucas? Why was he the only one who was given this information?  
  
He felt like he was being pulled in two different directions.  
  
"We're gonna be turnin' at the next exit..." Lucas mumbled.  
  
Ethan took a deep breath. It was now or never.  
  
"Maybe we should just keep going straight? If you haven't heard anything from your company, it's possible that something happened. It couldn't hurt to rethink our route."  
  
Lucas turned to look at him, irritation written all over his face, "The fuck you tryin' to pull, Ethan? Now, I thought we already been over this? _I'm_ the one in charge here, not you!"  
  
"I know that, I'm just saying if your guys haven't-"  
  
"Shut the hell up and take this exit, ya fuckwit!"  
  
Reluctantly, Ethan went into the turn. He already had a bad feeling about this...  
  
They both watched as the car behind them swerved awkwardly into the turn and started driving erratically. Clearly they were upset by Ethan's decision.  
  
Lucas scoffed, still watching them in his mirror, "Dumb sum'bitch," he shook his head, "fuckin' asshole's gonna get pulled over before we do."  
  
Ethan remained silent, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. In the few minutes they'd been driving westward he'd already noticed a lack of other cars on the road. Somehow the idea of them being caught out here by whoever was waiting for them made him more nervous than Lucas getting pissed at him again.   
  
He found himself wishing he'd just gone straight, Lucas' temper be damned...  
  
The road ahead was barricaded, with two unmarked black cars on either side.   
  
" _Shit!_ " Lucas hissed. He stared ahead at the cars, his lips pulled into a tight frown.   
  
"Your guys?" Ethan asked.  
  
Lucas merely shook his head. He was clearly terrified.  
  
\--------------------------------------  
  
The car that had been following them had pulled over almost a mile back, the driver watching them carefully.  
  
"Lucas, you dumb sack of _shit..._ " snarled the driver. Reaching into the backseat, she pulled out a shotgun and cocked it, throwing her hood back and keeping an eye on the scene ahead of her.  
  
\-------------------------------------  
  
Lucas and Ethan braced themselves as one of the cars pulled out in front of them. For the longest time nothing happened until the other car drove up next to them and two men got out. They were both dressed in military fatigues. The taller of the two sauntered up to Lucas' window and leaned down to talk to him.  
  
"Well, hey there, Lucas. What'cha up to?"  
  
Lucas swallowed and gave an uneasy laugh, "H-hey, Damien... Not much, how 'bout you?"  
  
Damien grinned at him, "A little bird told me you were thinking you were gonna try running away to play for the other team," he lowered his voice dangerously, "Now you wouldn't be _that_ stupid, would you? Not after everything we did for you?"  
  
Lucas couldn't bring himself to make eye-contact. His voice was wavering, like he was on the verge of crying.   
  
"N-nono, I-I was just... Ya know, seein' the sights."  
  
"Mm-hmm, and you thought you'd just go ahead and kidnap Mr. Winters here and take him along for your little joyride?"  
  
Ethan watched Lucas as he stared wide-eyed down at the glove box. He was visibly trembling.  
  
When he got no response, Damien looked across at Ethan. "I'm so sorry you had to get caught up in this mess, Mr. Winters. Seems your wife's been keeping some pretty hefty secrets from you, hasn't she?" He glanced over at Lucas before looking back at Ethan, "I'm afraid your little road trip has been cut short. You two are coming back with us. Just remember, you've got Mr. Baker here to thank for all of this."  
  
"Ethan..." Lucas glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "I-"  
  
He was cut short by a tremendous punch to his jaw. Lucas fell over Ethan's arm on the gear stick, blood running out of his nose and mouth. He squinted his eyes in pain as Damien grabbed him by his hoodie and yanked him back upright, "Out of the car, _both_ of you." Damien snarled.  
  
Ethan screamed in shock as Damien's head suddenly exploded in the window. "Oh, Jesus _fuck!!_ " He was about to step on the gas and ram the other car in sheer panic when the other man reached in and grabbed him. Ethan struggled wildly and cursed as he was yanked out of his seat.  
  
" _Git off him!_ " Lucas had thrown himself over to the driver's side and roughly pulled Ethan back. The man let go of Ethan and grabbed Lucas by the front of his hoodie, jabbing a needle into his shoulder.  
  
"Enjoy the insanity, Mr. Baker! You brought this on yourself!" A shot rang out and the man froze for a moment, staring straight ahead before crumpling to the ground. A massive hole in the side of his chest was spouting a fountain of blood.  
  
"Shit!" Ethan ducked as a bullet screamed overhead and blew out the passenger window of the car ahead of them. Ethan could see the blood spatter in the broken glass from where he was as the driver of the car attempted a clumsy retreat, only to have the back window shot out of it. Two more shots and the car rolled into the ditch on the side of the road and slammed to a stop against a telephone pole. That had taken care of the driver, apparently...  
  
"Lucas! You alright?" Ethan looked over at the Baker son. He was coughing and bleeding down his face but he gave a weak nod.  
  
" _Ethan!_ " A familiar voice called out to him as a figure toting a shotgun came jogging up to his driver side window, "Thank God you're alright!"  
  
Ethan's jaw dropped in disbelief.  
  
" _Zoe?!_ "

\--------------------------------------------------------------

I've been graced with another lovely fanart from the incredible [Callipy,](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callipy/pseuds/Callipy) this time of a very Lucas-ravaged Ethan! Thank you so much!

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW ahead.

Ethan couldn't believe it. He never thought he'd see Zoe again after he and Mia had left her behind on that pier.  
  
"Zoe, what's going on? Who _are_ these people?!"  
  
"You mean who _were_ these people..." she shook her bangs out of her eyes and motioned to her brother in the passenger seat, "go ahead an' ask _this_ dipshit, he's the one who's been workin' for 'em."  
  
Ethan looked over at Lucas who was holding his jaw and glaring daggers at her.  
  
"Nice to see ya, _Zoe_..." Lucas spat her name like it were pure poison.  
  
"I thought you said those weren't your guys," Ethan said bitterly, "so which is it?"  
  
"Them fuckin' idiots _ain't_ my guys, _Ethan_ , an' I fuckin' told ya this _bitch_ here ain't with me either!" He gave a curt nod toward his sister.  
  
"Knock it off, alright? She just saved our asses!" Ethan turned to look back at Zoe, "I can't thank you enough, Zoe. I can't say I know what's going on, but-"  
  
Zoe cut him off with a wave of her hand, "Sorry hon, we ain't got no time for chattin'. You two gotta get the hell outta here, _now,_ " she dropped a few papers into Ethan's lap, as well as a new phone, "there's plenty of information in those notes, an' the phone ain't been bugged. It's brand new. I've already added myself as your only contact. _Don't_ add anybody else or try to make any calls or texts out to anyone 'cept me, understand?"  
  
Ethan looked the phone over and gave her a confused nod.  
  
Reaching into the holster strapped to her leg, Zoe handed a basic 9mm and two packs of ammo over to Ethan, "I take it ya know how to use this?"  
  
Ethan gave her a flat look, "I'm from _Texas._ "  
  
With an amused smirk, Zoe shook her head, "That's what I like about you, Ethan!" Ignoring her brother's loud snort of indignation, she handed Ethan a medical kit and some additional bandages, "Any'a these sons'a bitches give you any trouble an' you're gonna have to shoot 'em, understand? They're gonna be on our asses from here on out so you just make sure you get up to Montana quick as ya can. I'll hang back an' draw 'em off you guys as much as possible."  
  
Loading and cocking his new gun, Ethan set it off to his left side, "You're a lifesaver, Zoe. Thanks."  
  
" _You're_ the one in charge now, Ethan... Don't fuck it up like this dumdum," she pointed right at Lucas, who in turn made a face at her. She tilted her head at him and raised a stern eyebrow, "Mature as always, I see," leaning into Ethan's window, she glared dangerously at her brother, "You better treat him good, _Lucas_ , or I'm comin' after _you_ next!"  
  
"I _been_ treatin' him good!" Lucas irritably whined. He sounded like a spoiled brat.  
  
Zoe stood up and backed away from the car, glancing around anxiously, "Alright Ethan, go on an' get outta here. I'll clean this mess up. Just keep north until ya get to the next exit, it should take ya back to the main highway. Follow that straight 'til ya get to the state line. I already got your new route programmed into your GPS, an' the hotel you'll be stayin' at tonight," she gave a sideways nod toward the road beyond the barricade, "we'll be in touch, okay?"  
  
"Thanks again, Zoe," Ethan reluctantly drove ahead, leaving her behind once again.  
  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The two men drove on in silence for almost an hour when Ethan finally spoke up, "Hey, thanks... for back there. That dude almost dragged me out of the car."  
  
Lucas hadn't taken his eyes off the glove box since they'd driven off. It was eerie the way he'd been staring straight at it as though he were in a trance.   
  
Ethan glanced over at him, "Hey man, you alright?"  
  
"... _Fine._ "  
  
In reality Lucas wasn't fine at all. He'd lost all control of the situation. Now Ethan was the one with the secret messages and contacts. Now Ethan was the big important leader of their operation. Lucas no longer held that power over him. It made him feel like the same worthless failure he'd been back in Dulvey. So much for independence...  
  
"We should probably get you cleaned up at some point," Ethan suggested, "all that blood on your face is going to attract unwanted attention." He looked back toward him and furrowed his brows in concern, "You sure you're okay? If you're hurt we can always-"  
  
"Said I'm _fine,_ Ethan," Lucas snapped, still not taking his eyes from the glove box. The pain had barely registered at the time, and already his wounds had closed up and healed over. The blood was all that remained. What made Lucas uneasy now was whatever had been in that needle he'd been injected with. He didn't feel any different; his head was still clear so the possibility of some form of hallucinogens was out. He'd obviously not been tranquilized. But he still couldn't get that asshole Keith's haunting last words out of his head:  
  
 _'Enjoy the insanity, Mr. Baker! You brought this on yourself!'_  
  
What had he meant by that?  
  
After getting over his initial shock, Lucas finally went into his bag and pulled out both he and Ethan's phones, a USB cable and his laptop, and proceeded to download as many pictures as he could. He was going to need to take apart and discard both phones, though he wasn't about to lose all those nudes of Mia, and especially the images he'd taken of he and Ethan in bed together.  
  
He glanced over at Ethan to make sure he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing...  
  
The other man was preoccupied with thoughts of his own as he watched the road ahead of them. So much had happened in such a short time frame and he was still trying to wrap his head around everything.  
  
That note had been from Zoe, that part was obvious now. But how long had she been following them? Why had she brushed by them in the gas station in disguise like that? And what did she have to do with Lucas' company?  
  
Bringing up his GPS, Ethan checked their route, noting that they were to stay on the highway north until they reached South Dakota. After that, the path gradually veered westward into Montana. They would get to Mia much sooner than if they'd continued following Lucas' plan. Ethan felt a surge of excitement and anxiety run through him. He was finally on the path to being reunited with his wife!   
  
"What's with _that_ face, Ethan? My sister send ya some nudes or somethin'?"  
  
Ethan looked over at his travel companion. Resembling a wet cat, Lucas had the bitchiest of expressions on his face.  
  
"Just checking our route..." Ethan replied.   
  
The other man merely huffed and shook his head, going back to whatever he was doing on his laptop.   
  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
By the time they'd finally crossed the state line, night had fallen and Lucas' mood had only gotten more foul. Already he'd started two arguments with Ethan about the pettiest things imaginable, and he didn't seem to be tiring of it at all.  
  
"Bet you wanna fuck her, don'tcha?"  
  
Refusing to take his eyes off the road, Ethan pursed his lips in irritation; " _Now_ what's your problem?"  
  
Lucas was sneering at him. He'd carelessly leaned back in his seat, his legs splayed upon the dashboard, "DUH _, Ethan!_ You know who the fuck I'm talkin' about... _Zoh-eee~_ " his sister's name was spoken in a mocking, nasally voice.  
  
"You know what? You've been a fucking crabass for the last three hours. I'd think you'd be sick of it by now..."  
  
Lucas' only response was to make a face at him before going back to sneering.  
  
Choosing not to reply, Ethan merely glanced at his GPS again, completely ignoring Lucas' childish temper.  
  
"Well? What'cha think, Ethan? Ya think she's hot?"  
  
Ethan continued to drive in silence, glancing down at his phone from time to time. He knew what Lucas was trying to do...  
  
"Hell- _oooo!_ Earth to Ethan!" The other man sarcastically waved in his face. He watched him for awhile, his face full of anger and contempt, before screaming at him; " _Hey!_ Fuckin' _look_ at me, _asshole!!_ "  
  
Not taking his eyes from the road, Ethan finally snapped back at him, " _What?!_ What the fuck is your problem now?"  
  
"You got a crush on my sister, ain't ya? I fuckin' _knew_ it!" Lucas huffed bitterly and turned away from him, putting his legs down and shaking his head in exasperation.   
  
"What the hell are you even talking about right now? Do you even _hear_ yourself?!"  
  
"Ya think _I'm_ scary-lookin' but ya wanna bang my fuckin' _sister_... Real nice, _Ethan._ " Lucas knew how ridiculous he was acting but he just couldn't help it at this point. He was so incredibly frustrated right now. Hot tears of anger pricked at his eyes. He hastily wiped them away as he stared bitterly at the road in front of them.  
  
Ethan glanced down. Lucas was bouncing his leg in a nervous fit. "You know, you're gonna give yourself a coronary flipping your shit all the time the way you do..."  
  
Lucas merely brought a hand up to his temple and leaned his head against the passenger side window, continuing to stare blankly ahead.  
  
"Zoe's pretty much been my only friend throughout all the hell I had to endure back at your family's house of horrors. Besides all that, you know I'm doing this for Mia, right?"  
  
"...There's another name I'm sick'a hearin'," Lucas quietly mumbled, "the woman's been lyin' to ya for _years_. She chopped your fuckin' hand clean off, stabbed the _shit_ outta ya, put ya through all kinds'a emotional stress, an' she's supposed to be your fuckin' _wife._ "  
  
Pursing his lips in irritation, Ethan tried to keep his cool. He knew Lucas was right about Mia and it made him that much more angry. When they finally did meet again they would definitely have a damn lot to talk about. Ethan would be lying if he said he wasn't angry with Mia, but he still wanted her to be safe.  
  
"I know I ain't exactly been an angel myself in all'a this... I put ya through some hells, Ethan. You an'... an' a lotta other people that probably didn't deserve it none. Hell, I threw my whole family under the bus for a clear head an' a hefty cash reward," Lucas sighed and leaned his head back, "I got plenty'a issues of my own, but Mia's the one what brought that whole mess with Evie an' whatnot about in the first place!"  
  
"...She never meant for that to happen and you know it!" Ethan growled.  
  
"She knew enough that she could'a warned us all ahead'a time! Assuming that moldy, demon-child from _hell_ was dead after that tanker crashed was sheer ignorance on her part!"  
  
"Alright, _fine,_ but at least she never willingly slaughtered people and used them as living test subjects!" The urge to just whip out his gun and pull the trigger into Lucas' face was getting stronger by the second...  
  
"Say what ya will about me..." Lucas continued, "but I ain't the one what been married to ya for years an' kept all this shit from ya knowin' full well what dangers that kinda work can bring onto other people, _Ethan..._ "  
  
Taking a deep breath, Ethan went back to focusing on the road ahead of them. Thankfully, they were entering a city and their next stop would be coming up within a few minutes. He could feel Lucas' eyes on him and it was unsettling.   
  
_'Creepy fucker...'_  
  
\----------------------------------------------------------  
  
They pulled into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express, Ethan noticing Zoe's car was only two stalls down from them.  
  
"I'm gonna give Zoe a call and see what's up before we go in..."  
  
Lucas just crammed the rest of his chips into his mouth and tossed the empty bag onto the floor of Ethan's car in response. He'd been extra bitchy the entire drive north.  
  
The phone rang a couple of times before a familiar voice answered, _'Took ya awhile. I was startin' to get worried.'_  
  
"Zoe, we're in the parking lot. Are you already inside?"  
  
 _'Sure am. Already got you checked in. I'll meet you in the lobby.'_  
  
After Zoe hung up, Lucas immediately started complaining again, clapping his hands to his cheeks and sarcastically mocking Ethan with an annoyingly high-pitched voice; " _'Ohh Zoe! Are you already inside? Oh, goodness!'_ " He sneered bitterly at him, "Bet you two are sharin' a room, ain't ya? Gonna fuck?"  
  
Ethan had enough of the Baker son's crap for the night. Reaching over, he wordlessly slapped him hard across the face, ignoring the look of shock he got in return. Pocketing both his gun and his phone he stepped out of the car and slammed the door, making his way to the front lobby without so much as sparing Lucas a backward glance.   
  
"Y-you stupid son of a bitch!" Lucas shouted after him, scrambling awkwardly to gather his belongings, "I'm gonna watch porn all fuckin' night long, nice an' loud so's you can hear it in your _sleep!_ "  
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Upon entering the lobby, Ethan spotted Zoe almost instantly, standing off to the side by the main doors and waving him down. She was with a buff, middle-aged man with his arm in a sling. He walked with a limp as they approached Ethan.  
  
"Hey hon, see ya made it in one piece!" Zoe handed him a messenger bag similar to the one Lucas had, "Got some stuff for ya, courtesy of 'ol Dave here," she motioned to the man next to her. He seemed somewhat shy, offering a small nod of his head in greeting.  
  
"Nice meeting you, Mr. Winters," he spoke quietly, "I apologize for the mess Mr. Baker made for you. He was working for my group but we had a mole in our midst and... Well, you've seen the result of that incident earlier. I'm the only surviving member of our little lot."  
  
"Please, call me Ethan," Ethan turned toward Zoe, "If you don't mind me asking, where did you come from? Were you working for these guys, too?"  
  
Zoe smiled and gently pulled him further into the lobby, "Ethan, I promise I'll explain everything later. Right now we gotta get you two settled for the night-" she glanced around, "Where's Lucas at?"  
  
Ethan looked back out toward the parking lot, "I thought he was right behind me," stepping closer to the doors he glanced outside, "Shit, _Lucas!_ "  
  
Sprinting outside, Ethan could see the other man laying face-down on the ground not ten feet from the car, fresh blood pouring from his nose.  
  
Crouching down, Ethan placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake, "Lucas? What happened, are you alright?"  
  
Eventually, Lucas stirred and tried to push himself up, succeeding in a clumsy backward flop that had him sitting up and blinking at the ground in front of him. Zoe and Dave had come out to investigate, but only Zoe's face showed signs of anxiety. She'd seen this before...  
  
"Hey," Ethan crouched in front of him, "Lucas? What happened?"  
  
Lucas looked up at Ethan. A whole slew of emotions swept across his face in the span of a couple of seconds. "M'fine..." he mumbled, struggling to stand. Ethan helped him up, still full of concern, but Lucas just waved him off and brushed irritably past Zoe and Dave.  
  
Ethan glanced over at Zoe, silently apologizing for the trouble.  
  
"You're fine, hon," she said, her voice strangely calm, "go on and make sure he's alright. I'll give ya a call in about an hour."  
  
Ethan gave her a nod and jogged back inside to catch up with Lucas.  
  
"What was that all about?" Dave questioned as they watched the two disappear into the lobby.  
  
Zoe crossed her arms and shook her head, "I dunno, but I tell ya one thing... I got a real bad feelin' about this."  
  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ethan had hovered close to Lucas the entire way to their room, more so out of the concern of him passing out again and having to be carried in than anything else. He really didn't need a scene like that, especially since they were now essentially being hunted.   
  
This of course only served to irritate the other man further. The last thing Lucas needed right now was to be treated like some fainting damsel in distress.  
  
Once inside, he made sure to vocalize his complaints in as snide a manner as possible.  
  
"Ya know, Ethan? Much as I been dreamin' 'bout you worryin' an' fussin' over me, you're really startin' to get on my nerves," he swatted at the other man and shooed him away toward the other side of the room, "Now go on, _git!_ "  
  
"Look, I just want to know what happened... How the hell did you end up face-planting in the parking lot? Did you trip or pass out?" Ethan went into the bathroom and wet a couple of paper towels, handing them over to Lucas to wipe his face, "If there's some sort of medical condition you should really-"  
  
"It ain't nothin' like that, alright?!" Lucas snapped, "I-I just... I just wasn't feelin' well, that's all."  
  
In truth, Lucas had been getting his things together when a sudden sharp pain wracked his entire body. It had come and gone like a bolt of lightening, but it hit him two more times before he was even able to get out of the car. When he finally did manage to step outside a sudden wave of nausea and vertigo was what had him keeling over forward onto the pavement. After that he'd simply blacked out.  
  
It had something to do with that injection, he just knew it. What scared him the most, though, was that he'd vividly remembered having those exact same symptoms shortly after being dragged off to see his new 'sister' three years ago.   
  
Of course what happened after that was when the nightmare truly began...  
  
He tossed his things on his bed and unzipped his hoodie, "S,fuckin' _hot_ in here..."  
  
"Want the AC on?" Ethan asked.  
  
Lucas merely nodded, tossing his hoodie aside and tugging down on his tanktop in a fit of self-consciousness. Kicking his shoes off, he dropped his bag onto the floor and watched as Ethan switched the air on. The cool breeze that hit him just then felt like heaven as he plopped down on his bed with a sigh and opened his laptop.  
  
Ethan had likewise set up shop on his own side of the room, thankful that they finally had two beds again. He looked through some of the papers that Zoe had given him; fake names, new IDs, plates for the car, etc. There were two changes of new clothes for each of them as well.  
  
"I'm gonna take a shower," he said, rooting through his bag to grab a new pair of boxers.   
  
Lucas gave him a snide once-over as he passed by him but he didn't say a word. He was far too preoccupied with setting up his own personal fun for the evening...  
  
\--------------------------------------------  
  
Ethan's thoughts once again drifted to Mia as the cool water ran down his body and soothed away some of the stress of the afternoon. The more he thought about their situation the more jumbled his decisions on things became. He'd been debating for awhile on whether or not to tell her about his drunken liaison with Lucas. There was so much he needed to tell her, _wanted_ to tell her, but then the reality of things on Mia's end always gave him pause. Would she have told him anything if the same situations had happened to her? She'd kept so much from him over the years and thus far the incident with Eveline was only one that he'd found out about, for obvious reasons. What else had she been keeping from him, or even flat-out lying about?  
  
Rinsing his hair, he shook his head and started scrubbing his body. _No._ Mia wasn't like that, at least not intentionally. Her job was dangerous and secretive. She'd only lied to Ethan for so long to protect him, and it wasn't until very recently that he'd discovered exactly what she'd been trying to protect him from all along. She'd never meant to harm anyone. Her psychotic behavior in that dilapidated mansion was not of her own doing. Mia would never have hurt him on purpose. That damned bio-weapon from hell had done that to her, as well as the entire Baker family.  
  
Well, except for Lucas...  
  
Though he was clearly trying to change his ways for Ethan's sake, Lucas was still just as selfish and used to getting his own way as ever. Ethan still hated that man for the terrible things he'd done, not only to all those innocents but to his own damned family as well. He'd been spoiled rotten since childhood, doted on by his parents, his mother especially, and this was how he thanked them? Even killing Oliver did nothing to dissuade his parents from thinking he could do no wrong. He was their special little boy. When the entire town brought it to the Baker's attention what had happened and just who's birthday party it was that the boy had gone missing from, Jack and Marguerite still insisted it couldn't have been their son's doing. And now Lucas didn't even seem to give much of a damn that his parents were both dead, killed by Ethan's hand no less.  
  
Granted, neither did Zoe, but she seemed to at least acknowledge the fact that they were both too far gone to be saved. She seemed relieved more than anything that they were finally out of their misery. Zoe had surely been through some serious hell having to experience her entire life being turned on its head and changed to a world of madness and hurt. Ethan truly admired her strength and fortitude. The fact that she'd managed to track him down and risk her own life to save his was nothing short of amazing. He was looking forward to talking with her later to find out what exactly had been going on for all this time. Surely she'd be more willing to give him the answers he needed than her moody brother.  
  
Speaking of...  
  
Ethan wasn't at all surprised to hear the muffled sounds of the usual gasps and cries from Lucas' porn movies coming from their room as he got out of the shower and toweled himself dry. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what he was going to walk into as soon as he opened the bathroom door...  
  
Only to find that the other man had thrown him for a loop once again.  
  
"What the fuck, _why?!_ " Ethan cried in shock, throwing his arms up in pure exasperation.  
  
There was Lucas, laying on his back in his bed, naked from the waist down with three fingers knuckle-deep in his ass and a screwdriver inserted halfway into his cock. The man was panting and groaning loudly as he pumped the screwdriver in and out with his left hand and arched off the bed to get a better angle with the fingers on his right. Two men were going wildly at each other in the movie playing on his laptop, one riding reverse-cowboy style in the other's lap.  
  
However, what Lucas was currently doing to himself defied anything he'd ever thought of as normal. Ethan looked on in shocked disgust at the screwdriver being driven in and out of Lucas' dick as a heavy stream of precome started leaking over his hand. The Baker son gave a whimper of pleasure followed by a heavy exhale of breath. He pushed his fingers deeper into his ass and curled his toes in pure ecstasy. Ethan couldn't tear his eyes away from the lewd show. He'd never seen anything like it before.  
  
"Oh! H-hey Ethan!" Lucas panted, "Come-come on over an' watch! Don't be shy~"  
  
"No, I'm good, _thanks,_ " Ethan got over his shock and quickly stalked over to his side of the room to get dressed as fast as possible.   
  
"Ohh, _fuck_ that's good!" Lucas increased his speed, as well as his own volume. He turned his glassy eyes away from his laptop to look directly at Ethan, obscenely licking his lips as he pumped away.   
  
Ethan pulled his boots on, deciding not to care about his wet hair for the moment in favor of texting Zoe about meeting with her and Dave in her room. The sooner he got away from Lucas the better...  
  
"Oh, _Ohh!_ " Ethan turned his head away in disgust as Lucas gave his final moans of pleasure before his release, trembling violently as the screwdriver fell out onto the bed amid a fountain of cum. He prayed to whatever God was listening that Zoe would hurry and text him back.  
  
Lucas was panting heavily and chuckling as he came down from his excitement, lasciviously bringing his cum-soaked fingers to his lips to taste his own seed. He locked eyes with Ethan the entire time, slowly running his tongue across his fingers and dipping them into his mouth.  
  
"Whattaya think, Ethan? Enjoy the show?" His voice was heavy with lust.  
  
"I could have done without it, actually," Ethan snapped back, "I never thought shoving tools into your dickhole would be the most intelligent thing to do, but you've managed to exceed even _my_ expectations... Congrats on your future infection, I guess?"  
  
That made Lucas sneer angrily at him for a moment before seemingly catching himself and turning his lips up into a smirk instead, "You know what, Ethan? You act just like a fuckin' _virgin_ sometimes, I _swear._ I bet you ain't never even tried anything new with Mia. Just your standard missionary shit, an' maybe a BJ once in a blue moon. Bet ya never even ate her out, did ya?"  
  
"What I do with my wife is _my_ fucking business, got it?" Ethan raised his voice. He hated it when Lucas got under his skin like this. If the man ever found out that Mia was usually the dominant one in the bedroom he'd never hear the end of it.  
  
Lucas sat up with a sudden renewed interest, "Look, Ethan, _buddy..._ All I'm sayin' is ya gotta try new things sometimes. _Especially_ with yourself! N-now, ya seen what I was doin' just now? That's called _sounding_ , an' despite what it looks like, it feels fuckin' _incredible!_ Takes jackin' off to a whole new level," he nodded toward his laptop, "Ya see them guys? That little guy takin' it like a fuckin' champ, he was the one what introduced me to that whole thing. First guy on guy porn I ever watched, an' he was the star. Had some guy tie him up an' dip this long metal rod into his dick..."  
  
Ethan had a permanent frown of disgust on his face as Lucas went on and on. He was staring intently at his phone, waiting for a message, _anything_ from Zoe...  
  
"...An' _damn_ if his pretty little face didn't get me off like never before! After that I ordered me a sounding kit an' started using different gauges 'til I could fit the thickest one in there nice an' deep, an' then-"  
  
Still no text back from Zoe...  
  
"Until my old man found 'em. That asshole didn't even know what they was, just assumed they were some'a my tools, so he threw my whole kit out onto the veranda, an'-"  
  
 _'Zoe, are you there? Can we talk? I really need to talk to you.'  
  
_ "That's when Mama found my fleshlight. Started askin' me all kinds'a questions 'bout what it was an' why it looked like that. So I told her it was just-"  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, Ethan's phone pinged with a text.  
  
 _'Thank fuck!'_ he thought.  
  
"As much as I've enjoyed this conversation," Ethan cut in, "I have a meeting with your sister and Dave. I'll be back in an hour or so."  
  
Lucas seemed taken aback at Ethan's sudden interruption. Here he was, spilling his best tips and stories to the guy, and he couldn't even be bothered to stick around? Especially after the show he'd just been given?  
  
"Phh, ya gonna go see Zoe, huh? Just gonna let me get ya all hot an' bothered so's you can go down that hall an' fuck my sister?" He spread his arms and glared peevishly at him, "Y'know, _I'm_ right here. Ya can fuck me any time, Ethan," he glanced back at his laptop, "these boys are doin' a good job of gettin' me up again. So whattaya say, hm?"  
  
"I'll pass," Ethan snapped, pulling his bag over his shoulder and grabbing his hotel key, "I already told you I'm not into guys. I thought you were over this?"  
  
"I ain't over _nothin'!_ Whatever gave ya that idea?" Lucas knit his brows in irritation, "Besides, there's a lotta things I can teach ya! Bet ya never even experienced _half_ the shit I seen. If you just gimme ten minutes, I can blow your mind! I can--"  
  
"Watching it in porn doesn't exactly count for having experience in the same thing, Luke. You know that, right? How many guys have you actually been with so far?"  
  
Lucas pouted immaturely and raised his voice, " _One!_ An' I woulda pounded that kid into the mattress if his fuckin' roommates ain't walked in on us! Besides that, I been screwin' girls since college. I know how it works, _Ethan!_ "  
  
Ethan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in agitation, "Look, Zoe told me that she and Dave wanted to talk to me about some things, okay? That's it. Dave is there too, so it's not like I'm gonna be in the room alone with her. We've got a lot of information to go over."  
  
The other man just stared at him, anger and disappointment written all over his face.  
  
"You know, you're welcome to join us if you want. Aren't you even the least bit curious about what's been going on?"  
  
That seemed to ease Lucas' jealousy enough for him to turn completely away from Ethan and go back to watching his porn movie in silence.  
  
Ethan raised his brows and shrugged, "Alright then, I'll see you in an hour. You know where I'll be, so if you decide to stop being sulky you can always stop right in."  
  
With that, Ethan left the Baker son to himself and his porn.  
  
Lucas bitterly watched the rest of the show, finally smirking at the end when his favorite actor came explosively all over himself with his on-screen lover biting down on his shoulder. Blinking and leaning back in his bed, Lucas imagined himself and Ethan in their place...  
  
The end of the film had been over for several minutes and Lucas was still staring blankly at the title screen, a gentle smile plastered across his face as his thoughts drifted far into his own twisted realm of fantasy. He dreamed of a universe where Ethan and Mia had decided to call it quits and end their marriage due to all the lies and secrets between them. Ethan showing up at Lucas' door, his head hanging in shame and apologizing profusely for his hurtful comments and gruff actions toward him, asking him for his forgiveness.  
  
And of course Lucas would take him in like a little lost puppy and show him the love he'd clearly been denied for so many years. He'd build them their own house out by the bayou, an extravagant French Creole masterpiece for just the two of them. They'd spend their days at work texting each other as often as possible, and when they came home they'd talk about whatever projects they were working on. The both of them being engineers would just be the icing on the cake as far as architectural design and mechanical creation were concerned. Lucas certainly wouldn't have any issues with setting up their own personal home security system either.  
  
They'd make love every night, Lucas gently easing Ethan into it and teaching him all sorts of tricks and new things for them to try until he finally adjusted to the pain and found pleasure instead. They would fall asleep in each other's arms and wake the next morning happy, satisfied, and fully refreshed. Taking a boat out into the swamps they'd fish for all the delicacies the bayou had to offer. Lucas would cook supper for Ethan, teaching him how to pan fry catfish and batter up crawdads and frog legs. They'd spend lazy Sundays out on the veranda, Lucas with his arm around Ethan, drinking sweet tea and talking about whatever came to mind late into the afternoon...  
  
These were Lucas' most private thoughts, the fantasies he'd kept buried so deep in his mind that no one else would ever know about them. They were some of the only things he had left that were truly _his,_ and stupid and sappy as they were, they gave him the smallest glimmer of hope for his future. Originally, a girl had been in Ethan's place long ago, some made-up fantasy woman that didn't exist, but after meeting Ethan and spending so much time with him, Lucas realized that this man knew him better than most. He was the closest thing to a real friend he'd had in years. He knew what Lucas had gone through, and in turn Lucas knew what Ethan had been through. They'd both survived so much already. Much as they butted heads they'd also boasted a lot of similarities.  
  
A sharp throbbing of pain in his left shoulder suddenly reminded him of that injection he'd taken earlier. He groaned and rolled over to fish around in his bag to retrieve a small object that he'd been working on for a few days now. It was a shabby little voodoo doll, stuffed with some of Ethan's hair from the trim he'd given him, a button from the shirt he'd been wearing when he first showed up in his house, and some of his blood soaked into a scrap of cloth from the same shirt.   
  
But Lucas had no intention of popping the head off of this doll or filling it with pins. This was a special doll that was infused with his wishes for Ethan to fall in love with him. Or at least just to _like_ him. He just needed some ribbon to make it complete.  
  
Lucas had learned about voodoo from his mother years ago. When Marguerite was younger she'd dabbled in voodoo just for fun. She'd been the one to teach he and Zoe how to make the dolls and use them, much to Jack's annoyance. Her husband had been a church-going man, and while he disapproved of his wife's 'witchcraft', he didn't bother stopping her from showing the kids a few small things here and there. It was just for fun after all.  
  
Just like his ridiculous fantasies, Lucas knew in the back of his mind it was stupid and wouldn't work. But it was comforting having a little piece of Ethan with him always...  
  
The pain returned to his shoulder, stronger than before, and it shocked down his entire arm. Lucas clenched his teeth as the pain shot through him again, the last wave causing his arm to convulse violently. He could feel dark tendrils creeping into his head. He was already beginning to feel feverish and when he closed his eyes it felt as though they were awash in lava.  
  
 _'Fuck...'_  
  
He knew this feeling. He remembered it vividly. There was no doubt in his mind that Keith had shot him up with some sort of reverse serum to turn him back into the monster Eveline had intended for him to be all along. If this continued he'd be just like his parents.  
  
 _'Suppose it's just what I deserve,'_ he thought, bitterly dragging himself off his bed to stumble his way into the bathroom in the hopes of a cold shower helping him with his fever.  
  
He'd barely made it through the door when a harsh cramping in his stomach brought him to his knees. Crying out in pain, he dragged himself over to the toilet and heaved painfully until he vomited a thick black substance. He panted and stared down at it through blurry, tear-soaked eyes, wishing he'd just gone with Ethan after all.   
  
Several minutes later the pain had finally subsided and Lucas was able to weakly make his way into the shower. He'd wash up quickly and head down the hall to Zoe's room. The last thing he wanted was to be alone right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Young, voodoo-loving Marguerite is a headcanon of mine. I think she and Jack are actually quite adorable together, and I wish we knew more about them!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Things have been uber busy lately and time got away from me.

"Hey Ethan, ya made it! C'mon in..."  
  
Zoe greeted him at the door and motioned him inside. The room was comfortably air conditioned and tidy, reminding Ethan of the disaster area he was sure to find when he returned down the hall to he and Lucas' room.  
  
Zoe offered him a chair and handed him a bottle of iced tea, "Sorry we didn't get much of a chance to talk earlier. Now we can finally catch up," she sat down on the end of the bed across from him, "Lucas treatin' ya okay?"  
  
Ethan blinked and looked down in embarrassment, "Oh I don't know, I just saw him fucking himself in the dick with a screwdriver while watching porn," he gave a sarcastic shrug, "but other than that? I suppose so..."  
  
Zoe didn't even flinch, "Phh, that's _nothin'._ When I was twelve I walked in on him shovin' a candlestick up his ass. Also seen him fuckin' a mannequin before, caught him on his hands an' knees licking the dick on one'a the male mannequins another time, _an'_ I caught him peepin' at me while I was doin' yoga," she rolled her eyes and shook her head, "that's just Lucas bein' Lucas. He's always been a pervert, ain't nothin' new."  
  
"I'd always wondered about that, too. Why were there so many mannequins in your house?"  
  
"Mama was a seamstress long time ago," Zoe smiled fondly, "she just loved designin' new dresses and patchin' up everyone's clothes."  
  
Ethan raised a curious eyebrow at her, "I see. So... you know about Lucas, then? That he's bisexual?"  
  
Zoe merely waved him off, "Yeah, I known about that for years now," her eyes suddenly became serious, "Why? Did he do anything to you?"   
  
"N-no, no! I was just wondering..." Zoe had narrowed her eyes at him. There was a dangerous glint in them that told him she'd disembowel Lucas at the drop of a hat if he so much as _leered_ at Ethan. Swallowing nervously, he decided to change the subject, "I guess why I'm really here is in regards to Mia. Have you had any contact with her at all? I just want to know if she's okay."  
  
The murderous glint in Zoe's eyes was gone in an instant and she smiled sweetly at him, "Oh honey, Mia's doin' just _fine!_ The reason ya ain't had any contact with her is 'cause she just couldn't risk it."  
  
Ethan looked back down at the floor and sighed, "Typical Mia..."  
  
"Now what's _that_ look for?" Zoe lifted his chin in her fingers and looked him in the eye, "Sure hope you're not thinkin' she's forgotten about you, Ethan? 'Cause ya know that ain't true!" Leaning back and crossing her legs she gave him another warm smile and spoke in a gentle voice, "That woman sure does love ya... Matter'a fact, she's been worried sick about you. Got a feelin' she's gonna smash right through the walls to get to ya when we finally make it to this place."  
  
Ethan chuckled and looked down at his lap in embarrassment, "Well, that's good to know at least..." Clearing his throat he looked back up at Zoe, "So what about you? How did you end up knowing so much about Mia and these corporations?"  
  
She snorted and rolled her eyes, " _That's_ easy enough, I just followed Lucas' paper trail. That idiot never could grasp the concept of usin' stronger passwords an' not leavin' his damned files out in the open. Honestly? If he weren't immortal he'da been dead _long_ ago."  
  
Shaking her bangs out of her eyes she grabbed a pack of cigarettes off the nightstand and lit one up, inhaling the smoke and breathing it through her nostrils in anger.  
  
"Dumbest thing he ever did was tie Mia and I up in the same room together. She told me what she was plannin' and how we were gonna get the hell outta there when you came to save us. Gave me a list of names and contacts to meet up with if we got separated. 'Course I already had enough information on Lucas an' _his_ stupid plans to figure how the two companies would react to one another if the shit _did_ hit the fan," she glanced over at Dave, "which it did, as I expected it would."  
  
The grizzled man swallowed nervously and finally spoke up in a subdued voice, "Lucas was careless... His primary concern was money, and though he was exceptionally smart he was also just as sloppy. He opened his mouth one too many times and our friend Damien saw an opportunity to take full advantage of the situation. He and Keith didn't hesitate to report back to Umbrella about what we were up to, thinking they'd get paid a king's ransom for their efforts," he nodded toward Zoe, "Luckily, Lucas' sister wasn't a wicked soul like her brother, and as soon as I reached out to Mia's crew she directed me to Zoe and gave me her information. We've been working together since."  
  
Ethan motioned to Dave's arm, "I take it Lucas' group did that?"  
  
"Soon as those two rats realized I wasn't going along with their plan they took it upon themselves to beat me to a pulp," he lifted his pant leg up, revealing his bandaged kneecap, "What they didn't realize is that I'd been spying on them while working closely with Zoe a few weeks beforehand. That's why she was always two steps ahead of us. She staged a sniper assault when she saw them beating me outside the car. Hit me with a rubber bullet and made them think I got shot. They got back in the car and drove off, leaving me behind assuming I was dead and that I wouldn't be a problem for them anymore."  
  
Ethan took a deep breath and shook his head. This was a lot of information. He couldn't imagine the kind of lives these people had led up to this point. The lies, the treachery, the going back and forth... No wonder they were all so crazy. If Lucas was bad before, this would have surely been enough to send his stress levels through the roof.  
  
"So then, why was Lucas trying to get to Mia's group? He seemed pretty interested in saving his own ass this whole time. Why work for this rogue group when the main company they branched off from was monitoring him?"   
  
Zoe snubbed out her cigarette in the nearby ashtray and quickly lit up another, "That sack of shit _was_ only interested in savin' his own ass. But after Mia blew Evie outta the sky he knew the jig was up an' they wouldn't have any use for him anymore. They would have hunted him down an' destroyed every last bit of evidence against 'em," she blew out a puff of smoke, "an' I'm sure I would have been destroyed right along with him. Good thing your wife offered to help me out when she did 'else I'd be dead right now. Or worse, somebody's lab experiment."  
  
Ethan leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands in his lap, "I heard Mia was taken away on a helicopter. Did they take you too?"  
  
"Sure did, the both of us got the hell outta there just in time," she flicked some ash and took another drag, "Guy named Chris flew us out to a private hangar and got us on a jet to Montana for treatment, thank _God._ Any longer an' I would have been just as crazy as Mama an' Daddy."  
  
Blinking, Ethan looked down at his hands in guilt, "I'm so sorry, Zoe. You were the only lifeline I had in that house of horrors. You figured out how to make that serum, you saved both Mia and I, and I couldn't even save you in the end-"  
  
Zoe put her hand up to cut him off, "Don't go blamin' yourself, Ethan, ya did what ya could. I was the one who asked you to use the other serum on Daddy. _Somebody_ needed to put him out of his misery..."  
  
"How did you ever figure out how to make that serum anyway?"  
  
Smirking, Zoe took a long drag and blew out a ring of smoke, "That would be sloppy 'ol Lucas' paper trail yet again! Fuckin' idiot was always leavin' his computer unlocked when he ran down to dinner, an' if it ever _was_ locked you could be sure it would be the same easy-ass, dipshit password every time. He ain't the only smart one in the family, ya know."  
  
Ethan swallowed thickly, "What were you guys eating all that time? Lucas said..." he trailed off and raised his brows at Zoe in a silent question.  
  
Grimacing a bit, Zoe glanced down and snubbed out her cigarette, "They went through all the livestock we had pretty quickly. The pigs and cows were all dead an' butchered in a matter of weeks. That's when they started gettin' a taste for human flesh," she shook her head in disgust, "Lucas was the worst in the beginning; slurpin' down entrails like ramen noodles an' tearin' through meat like a fuckin' _caveman._ They were _all_ like that, but Lucas... He'd look right at you with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, blood drippin' from his mouth an' everything. He stopped after he got his head fixed up but even then he'd still go downstairs an' eat that shit up every few months. Said he wasn't no rabbit an' that he needed proper sustenance. He was always creepin' around my trailer, tryin' to steal food an' beggin' me for a couple cans of beans an' some jerky from time to time. Never understood it. He was always hungry for meat. Why he didn't just go out an' hunt some ducks or try some fishin' like I did is beyond me."  
  
"Seems like something he'd do... I'm so sorry you had to deal with that shit for so long. You and your parents didn't deserve what happened to you."  
  
"Already told ya, it ain't your fault, Ethan. Okay?" She took a deep breath and glanced over at Dave again, "All I can say is thank _fuck_ for canned goods. We had a huge pantry in the basement chock full of the stuff, more than enough to last a few years. When you live in hurricane country you gotta have a backup plan."  
  
Ethan sat up and scratched at the back of his head, eager to change the subject, "What happened in Montana? Why did you come back?"  
  
"Mia asked me to come find you an' bring you back to her," she gave him a knowing smirk that had him blushing furiously, " _That_ , and I had a little score to settle with a certain shithead excuse for an older brother."  
  
"Can't say I blame you there..."  
  
"He _has_ been treatin' you well though, right? He ain't been harassin' ya any?"  
  
Ethan merely shrugged, "This trip has been a nightmare since day one. I'll just be glad when it's over."  
  
"Ya didn't answer the question, hon," Zoe gave him a look that brooked no argument, "How's he been treatin' you?"  
  
Shaking his head, Ethan took a deep breath before responding, "He's fucking _weird._ "  
  
Zoe huffed a laugh and sat back, "Yeah, that's Lucas for ya... You ain't seen nothin' until you seen him dancin' around his room wearin' a dress."  
  
Ethan raised an eyebrow and sneered, "The _fuck?_ "  
  
"Yep... Had the privilege of seein' that one live an' in-person when I was home sick one day. He thought he was home alone, I guess. Music just blarin' away and his obnoxious voice tryin' to sing at the top of his lungs. I dragged my sick ass outta bed and went down to see what the hell was goin' on an' there he was, wearin' one of my purple summer one-pieces and tryin' to dance all 'sexy' in front of the mirror. Stretched my dress out so bad I couldn't wear it again after that. I cussed him out _good_ for that one."  
  
Ethan had reared back and and blinked at her, "Holy shit, why did he do that?"  
  
"No clue, an' I didn't ask him, neither," Zoe put her hands up and looked down at the carpet, "I didn't even want to know. I just know my panties had been goin' missin' for the longest time an' I know exactly where they went after that. Caught him wearin' a pair along with one of my bras another time. He's lucky daddy never found out or he would'a been whooped within an inch of his life!"  
  
" _Man..._ " Ethan ran a hand through his hair, "I can't imagine having to live with that for so long. Seems like he's been a trouble magnet for some time now, huh?"  
  
"Sure has..." Zoe went for another cigarette as Dave started typing something out on his laptop. He was clearly not interested in hearing about Lucas' creepy past. No doubt he'd seen and heard enough just working with him for the short amount of time he already had.  
  
Lighting up, Zoe went deeper into detail, "Lucas got it for breaking an' entering, battery an' assault, an' again for stalking, all from the same girl," she exhaled a cloud of smoke, "Whitney, his first ever girlfriend. She was a sweet lil' thing from his school; blonde, a bit chubby, loved horses... Our family knew hers pretty well. We all went to church together an' her dad owned the farm next county over. She dumped him a couple months after they'd been together an' he just went apeshit. Called her up every night to harass her an' call her all sorts of awful things. Daddy finally put a stop to that an' slapped the shit out of him. Told him never to call that girl again."  
  
Ethan was listening intently. As much as it horrified him digging deeper into Lucas' creepy past he just couldn't help himself...  
  
"Well, you can imagine _that_ just pissed him off even more," Zoe flicked her cigarette and took another drag, "He ended up sneakin' out one night and headed out to her place. Somehow got his ass into her room and beat her up while she was in the shower. Her dad chased him outta there with a shotgun, an' that's when the cops were called an' he got arrested a few hours later... Apparently he'd also set up some little spy cameras around her bedroom back when they were still together. Got into her computer with some spyware, rigged up her webcam, the whole shebang. _Shitbag._ "  
  
" _Jesus..._ " Ethan was speechless. He knew Lucas was troubled but this was beyond fucked up.  
  
"I tell ya, he never tried pullin' that shit again, not after spendin' the night in the county jail an' havin' Daddy beat him just like he beat that poor girl. I think Mama was the only one who tried stickin' for him but even she knew what he did was rotten. He cried for days after that, more so out of heartbreak than self pity for a change. Took him almost a year to get over her, especially when he seen her with another guy. He had a couple other steady girls after that, but they never lasted more than a few months," she glanced knowingly up at Ethan, "I'm sure you've already noticed he's got a hell of a temper."  
  
"I've seen that, yeah..." Ethan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Let's cut the bullshit then," Zoe put out her cigarette and marched up to him, bending down and poking at his almost fully-healed eye, "Where'd ya get _that_ then, huh?"  
  
"This?" Ethan stuttered nervously, "I-it's fine, I just-"  
  
"Long as we're on the subject, how 'bout _this?_ " She grabbed his chin and tilted his head to the side, pointing to the obvious traces of the hickey on his neck, "Wanna tell me where this thing came from?"  
  
 _'Holy shit, this woman is astute...'_  
  
Ethan merely sighed. There was no point in arguing.  
  
"It's nothing. We got into a fight over something stupid and he hit me," he quickly continued when he saw the rage growing in Zoe's eyes, "To be fair I punched the shit out of him right back. He actually apologized after that."  
  
"Mhm, and where'd ya get that hickey from?" Her lips tightened in anger, "What'd he do, trip an' fall with his mouth open onto your neck?"  
  
Ethan could tell she was getting angrier by the second. At this point he couldn't tell if she wanted to kill him or Lucas, or even the both of them.  
  
He put his hands up in submission and looked down at the floor, thoroughly humiliated.  
  
"Alright, alright! _Look..._ I'll tell you what happened but you have to promise me you won't say anything about this to Lucas or Mia," he chanced looking up into Zoe's eyes, "alright?"  
  
Inhaling sharply, Zoe merely closed her eyes and gave him a nod.  
  
"It was stupid, it never should have happened and I'd take it all back in a heartbeat if I could..."  
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
About twenty minutes later Ethan had finally finished explaining everything to Zoe, starting from his being essentially kidnapped, to Lucas' creepy staring and awkward comments, and finally ending with their drunken night in the shower and the follow-up fight that happened as a result.  
  
Zoe had started rubbing at her temples in agitation as the story had gone on, varying degrees of anger sweeping across her features, but she'd patiently listened in silence throughout the entire thing. By the end of it she was silent for another minute or so as she processed the information, leaning forward in her seat with her arms crossed over her thighs. She refused to look up from the floor, presumably trying to mask the anger and disbelief at the wild tale.  
  
Blinking rapidly, she swallowed and took a deep breath before finally speaking in a dangerously low voice.  
  
"So let me get this straight... Lucas was hittin' on you for days, he played head games with you, then he gets ya drunk one night an' the two of you decide to do the horizontal tango?" She refused to look up from the floor, "That it? Anything else you wanna add?"  
  
"Look, it wasn't like that, okay?" Ethan was beginning to get irritated, "It's not like we spread rose petals across the bed, lit some candles and made a night of it. We were watching porn, we got horny, I went into the shower to take care of some things," he visibly blushed, "and he popped in and offered to... _help._ It lasted all of a couple minutes, if that. It meant absolutely _nothing._ "  
  
"You gonna tell Mia?" Zoe finally snapped, looking up at him furiously.  
  
That caught Ethan by surprise. His jaw hung open for a moment before he finally answered, "I'm not sure yet..."  
  
"What do ya mean you're not sure yet?!" Zoe finally started raising her voice now, "You know, you got a wife who loves the hell outta you waitin' on you out in Montana, worryin' over you an' wonderin' if you're alright, an' you're over here gettin' frisky an' goin' on a vacation road trip with the man who locked her up in the basement of that old run-down house? Do you even know what Lucas did to that poor girl?!"  
  
Across the room, Dave had visibly flinched and was hunched down in his chair desperately trying to focus on his laptop.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Now Ethan was yelling, "You asked me to tell you what was going on and I did! I was _never_ on a fun vacation road trip with this asshole, and as far as 'getting frisky' with him goes, _fuck_ no! The fact that you would even fucking _think_ I'd drop Mia for that sick piece of shit is insane!"   
  
Irritably, he sat back and ran his fingers through his hair, "Everything I went through at that house, everything I'm doing now is for Mia. You were right there when I gave her that serum. I didn't even _hesitate._ "  
  
Wordlessly, Zoe got up and marched over to the nightstand to grab another cigarette. Ethan watched her with mild interest before quietly asking, "What did Lucas do to her?"  
  
Zoe took a long drag off her cigarette and stood with her back to him, looking out the window at the lights of the city.  
  
"Well... He tried to get her bra off and grab her tits a few times, but when she karate kicked him in the face and sent his ass across the room he never tried it again. He did manage to take a couple of creeper shots of her with his phone but he never had the balls to go near her again, that's for damn sure."  
  
"Are you fucking shitting me?!" Ethan stood up and snarled, "What the fuck is wrong with this asshole?!"  
  
Turning to face him, Zoe cocked her head at him and struggled to keep her voice low, "No _shit,_ Ethan. Mia was locked up with us for three years, Evie screamin' at her in her head all the while, an' she still managed to fight that pervert off every time he made a move on her. You couldn't even last a _week._ "  
  
A heavy feeling of guilt and embarrassment hit Ethan just then. He couldn't even bring himself to reply.   
  
Zoe watched him for a few seconds before taking one last drag and snubbing out her cigarette, " _Look_ hon, I don't mean to be so hard on ya but you need to understand... All of us have been through hell and back, and despite everything you've had to deal with so far you gotta understand that your wife's been suffering like this for three long years," she came over and sat in front of him once again, "Lucas is a fucking _pig,_ Ethan. I really don't want to see you falling under his influence, okay?"  
  
Ethan glared at her, "If you're worried about him seducing me, _don't._ I'm not a delicate, swooning maiden being swept off and carried away by some zombie redneck from hell, got it?"  
  
"No, but you sure fell right into the drinking trap," she glared right back at him, "He ain't no Evie but he's got a way of gettin' into people's heads all the same. Don't you ever let your guard down around him. He really likes to play the guilt-trip game, so watch it."  
  
Ethan sighed but he nodded in agreement, "I know, Zoe, I know... Thanks for watching out for me."  
  
" _Somebody's_ got to keep an eye out for ya," she gave him a wink, "for Mia's sake..."  
  
She reached over and grabbed his crudely stapled hand, tutting and shaking her head, "Man, I gotta get this thing fixed up for ya. Not my best work, that's for sure. When we get to Montana I'll make sure to have it properly sewn up," she ran her fingers over the little bits of metal and looked up at him, "If things go according to plan we should be there by tomorrow afternoon. You an' Mia'll finally be back together. You gettin' excited?"  
  
Ethan smirked, "Yeah... Nervous, but excited. After everything that's happened I just want to be back in Mia's arms again."  
  
"I just happen to know that Mia's lookin' forward to the same thing," she gave him a wink and stood back up, "I suppose you'd best be headin' back to your room, now. Got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."  
  
Ethan got up and grabbed his bag, "What about you and Lucas? What are you guys going to do?""  
  
"Lucas is gonna be _dead_ if I got any say in it... As for me? I'll be parting ways with you guys and going with Dave out to Vermont with his little group. Got another biotech facility out there that we'll be workin' out of. We'll still be in contact with you guys, we're all just going to be split up to avoid suspicion. Best this way."  
  
"I suppose so," Ethan gave a nod to Dave, "'Night, Dave. Thanks for everything."  
  
The other man glanced up from his laptop and gave him a little wave, "You too, Ethan. See you tomorrow."  
  
\------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ethan was fuming as he headed back to his room. That disgusting shitbag Lucas was in for another beating after what he'd just learned he'd tried with Mia. There were some things he just didn't need to know about, and that creeper's history was fucking high up on that list...  
  
When he got to the room he was surprised at how quiet it was. Lucas' bag was still on the floor by his bed, his laptop was still on, and his clothes were strewn across the bed as per usual.  
  
 _'Fucking slob...'_  
  
"Lucas..." Ethan called.  
  
There was no answer.  
  
Dropping his bag off on his side of the room, Ethan headed over to the bathroom where the door was ajar and he could hear the faint splash of water. He knocked lightly on the door and called again; "Lucas?"  
  
When he didn't receive an answer he chanced opening the door and peeked inside.  
  
" _Jesus!_ "  
  
There was Lucas, sprawled out in the tub and looking like he just rose from the dead. He looked even worse than usual. His skin was so pale it was practically translucent and his veins were now a sickly black color. The hollows of his eyes had turned so dark that his head nearly looked like a skull. He was having visible difficulty breathing, his jaw hanging open as ragged breath was forced through like a wet pipe. Ethan was reminded of the dead baby bird he saw in his backyard when he was a child. It was a disturbing image...  
  
Temporarily forgetting his anger, Ethan crouched down at the side of the tub, "Lucas, what happened? Hey, wake up!"  
  
Lucas stirred and cracked his pale eyes open, looking over at Ethan like he was on his deathbed. When he tried to move his lips to speak he broke down into a fit of wet coughing. A black substance stained his mouth and was streaked down his throat and chest.   
  
Ethan reeled back in horror and disgust, "Holy fucking _shit,_ Lucas! What the hell happened to you?!"  
  
The Baker son blinked a couple times, finally catching his breath and opening his eyes. They were visibly lighter now, the pale blue in them having turned even milkier than before.   
  
"E-Ethan..." he croaked.  
  
"Hang on, I'll get you some water..."  
  
Ethan rushed over to his bag and fetched a bottle of water before returning, full of the dread of what might be wrong with Lucas.  
  
"Drink this..." He held the bottle up to the other man's lips and allowed him to take a few sips, "What's going on? You look sick as fuck, man."  
  
"D-don't... feel good," Lucas groaned weakly, "Had a b-...bad stomach ache... Hhhead hurts... burning up..." he shook his head and searched Ethan's face with watery eyes, "C-couldn't make it... to Zoe's..."  
  
"I'm gonna call her," Ethan said, cutting him off and going for his phone.  
  
With lightning speed, Lucas brought one icy, skeletal hand out of the tub and latched onto Ethan's wrist with crushing strength, causing the other man to drop his phone in shock.  
  
"N-no, Ethan... Nono, it's better now... Not so bad any more..." he shook his head, "D-don't tell Zoe... It's fine, now," he reluctantly let go of Ethan's wrist, watching with a heavy heart as the look in his eyes filled with terror and repulsion. It genuinely hurt him to see Ethan looking at him like that...  
  
Ethan swallowed thickly and tried to suppress the urge to sneer in disgust, "That water is fucking freezing, dude... You're just gonna make yourself sicker if you stay in there."  
  
Lucas licked at his dry and cracking lips and slowly shook his head, "I... I can't get up by myself..." he muttered.  
  
Closing his eyes in frustration, Ethan nodded and adjusted his body so he could haul Lucas up by his arms. The other man grabbed his wrists and allowed himself to be pulled up before wrapping one skinny arm around his shoulder so he could be hoisted the rest of the way.   
  
As soon as Lucas was up on his feet and had made an attempt to step out of the tub, his leg buckled underneath him and he came crashing back down at an awkward angle, dragging Ethan down with him. Ice-cold bathwater doused the other man as he cursed loudly and struggled to pull back.  
  
"Shit! Lucas, you okay?" Ethan stood back up and held his hand out once more, "Sorry, man. Come on, let's try again..."  
  
Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head again, "...Can't..."  
  
Ethan took a deep breath and held his head in frustration, "Alright, alright..." he grumbled.  
  
Reluctantly, he reached under Lucas' arms and legs and attempted to lift him bodily out of the tub. After an awkward struggle he managed to haul the lanky Baker son up and out of the bathroom. He was heavier than he looked, and his skin felt like ice.  
  
Lowering him into his bed, Ethan quickly went back into the bathroom to grab a handful of clean towels and proceeded to dry him off. He then helped him to dress in his sleep pants and a t-shirt before pulling the covers over him.  
  
"Spill it," he snapped, "What's wrong with you? You're acting like you're infected with that moldy shit again."  
  
Lucas just looked at him as though he were drunk out of his mind. His eyes were half-closed and his peeling lips were parted as he started to croak out his confession.  
  
"T-that asshole, Keith... He stuck me with a needle when we was in the car..." he took another deep, gasping breath and blinked his eyes open, "Must've had some sorta shit in it from that corporation that made Evie..."  
  
Ethan's eyes went wide in anger, "What the _fuck,_ Lucas?! Why the fuck don't you ever _tell_ me this shit?! You're gonna end up getting us killed at this rate, you stupid fucking _shithead!_ "  
  
Lucas weakly glared at him, baring his teeth in anger, "Hey, _fuck you,_ Ethan!" Struggling to sit up in his bed, he lowered his voice and pouted bitterly, "Y-ya know what? I'm sick like this right now because of _your_ dumb ass!"  
  
Ethan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Throwing his arms up in frustration he shouted back at the other man; "W- _what?!_ I'm sorry, what the actual _fuck_ are you saying right now?! Has the mold gotten so deep into your head that you're-"  
  
"That needle was meant for _you,_ shit-for-brains!"  
  
That shut Ethan up instantaneously. He gave Lucas a puzzled expression before finally asking; "...the fuck are you talking about?"  
  
Lucas closed his eyes, morphing his face into the visage of a living skull once again, "It was when Keith was tryin' to pull ya outta the car... He probably wanted to infect ya so he could bring ya back with him as a token science experiment or some shit, I dunno," he finally turned his head and looked back up at Ethan, "When I went to pull ya back in with me he stabbed me in the shoulder with it... Think I'm turnin' into a monster, Ethan..."  
  
There was a long pause before Ethan finally spoke back up, "You were a monster long before this shit went down."  
  
A shocked expression came over Lucas' ashen face for a moment before he huffed a bitter laugh and turned away, "Guess you're right about that one..."  
  
The two of them sat in silence for the next few minutes, Ethan sorting through all the files in his bag and Lucas burrowing himself deeper into his blankets. Now that his body temperature was starting to regulate, he was beginning to feel a bit better.  
  
" _Man..._ " he groaned, "Freezin' my fuckin' balls off..."  
  
"Probably shouldn't have taken a nap in a bathtub full of cold water then, huh?"  
  
Lucas looked over at him, irritation written all over his face. "Probly shount _mehmehmeh meeeehh~_ " he mocked, childishly, "Why you always gotta be such a fuckin' wise-ass, Ethan, huh?"  
  
"It's fun..." Ethan said, distractedly. He was busy trying to get everything in order for their trip tomorrow. "Want me to order you some soup or something? If anything it'll help warm you up."  
  
Lucas merely shrugged and went back to staring at the ceiling.  
  
With a sigh, Ethan got up and sat on the edge of Lucas' bed to grab the phone and the room service menu.  
  
When he finished ordering and hung up, he immediately tensed when he felt strong hands on his shoulders.  
  
"Hey, what the _fuck?!_ " he cried.  
  
" _Shhhh!_ " Lucas hissed in annoyance, "Would you calm the fuck down, Ethan? I'm just givin' ya a massage, holy _shit,_ boy..."  
  
Ethan sat ramrod straight and tense as a bowstring for the first few minutes before finally relaxing a bit and allowing Lucas to work his muscles. He begrudgingly had to admit that it did actually feel pretty good. Lucas, despite his strength, was being surprisingly gentle with him.  
  
Lucas, meanwhile, was feeling pretty calm himself. Despite the fungus coursing through his veins, the simple act of being close to Ethan like this was comforting to him. With a peaceful smile on his face he closed his eyes and worked his fingers in a bit stronger, kneading into the tough knots in Ethan's shoulders and running his palms up and down his back. If they could just somehow stay like this...  
  
"Ah! Shit, Lucas... Ease up, man."  
  
Blinking, Lucas looked down at his hands and immediately stopped what he was doing.   
  
The fingers on his left hand had begun to twist themselves into the shape of long claws. He noticed the dark veins in his hand had seemingly popped right out of his skin and were slowly climbing like gnarled branches over his wrist and up his arm. His eyes went wide in horror and he quickly pulled away from Ethan. Swinging his legs over the other side of the bed, he headed into the bathroom, mumbling an excuse as he went.  
  
"I'm gonna go make room for dinner..."  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes and went back to his side of the room, replying over his shoulder, "Thanks for the info. I really needed to know that."  
  
With a sigh he finished getting everything carefully packed away and set his bag against the bed. Tomorrow he would finally be reunited with Mia... The door would close, this nightmare would finally end, and they could start over.  
  
What he didn't realize was that the nightmare for Lucas was just beginning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my long absence! Work and school ate up so much of my free time, but we're back on track with another chapter. There will likely be one more chapter after this one and then the final epilogue. Thanks everyone for being so patient!
> 
> Also thought I'd mention that I added a few small details from Not A Hero to this one.

Lucas stared into the bathroom mirror in horror as his body slowly began to change right in front of him. His left hand had blown up in size and was now nothing more that a huge mess of sharp claws and blood. The injection site on his shoulder had been an angry purple color for awhile now, though after he'd gotten into the tub to cool down it had started blossoming with dark black spider veins that had begun to spread out over the entire length of his arm. What started out as a throbbing pain was now an agonizing searing heat that tore mercilessly through his limbs.

He briefly remembered that poor bastard Hoffman. If this was what that man had to experience, then Lucas was well and truly fucked. In a matter of days his face would be completely unrecognizable.

_'Maybe Ethan'll put a bag over my head...'_ he bitterly thought.

Leaning closer into the mirror he could see that the left half of his face was indeed beginning to change as well. His eye was already clouding over and was surrounded by a bright, crimson red from multiple broken blood vessels. When he opened his mouth to examine his teeth, he noticed that his canines and several others had pushed violently outward and down over his lower lip. His sunken cheek had started to pull back toward his ear giving the one side of his mouth the appearance of a twisted jester's smile.

He suddenly found himself hoping that Ethan really _would_ put a bag over his head. Then he wouldn't have to see the repulsed expression on his face...

There was a light knock on the door.

"Dinner's here," Ethan called.

"...Thanks," he mumbled in response. Luckily, Ethan didn't press the matter further and had left him alone.

Deciding to stay in the bathroom until the other man fell asleep, he looked forlornly into the mirror, wrapping his disfigured arm around himself. His body ached all over and now the chills were returning.

\-------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Ethan had taken the opportunity to text Zoe about her brother's condition. If anyone would know what to do it would be her.

_'Hey Zoe? You still up?'_

_'What's up?'_

_'Long story short Lucas got injected with something when those guys attacked us and now he looks like he's starting to get infected with Evie's mold again.'_

_'Are you fucking kidding me?'_

_'He's still relatively stable but he's in a lot of pain. Anything we can do?'_

___'Kill him!!'_

_'I don't know if I can if he's anything like Jack. He's not acting crazy, just sick. I think he's turning into one of those things that were all over your house.'_

_'Fuck!'_

_'How long until he turns? Killing him here will just attract attention.'_

_'Where is he?'_

_'Bathroom.'_

_'He won't turn right away, usually takes a couple days. It's different for each person though.'_

___'Got it. Think we can get him fixed up when we get to Montana?'_

_'Don't see why you'd want to. Let him die, it's what he deserves.'_

_'I don't want to be in a car for hours on end with a mutating monster. We have to do something soon.'_

_'Keep an eye on him. I'll ask Dave what he wants to do and get back to you. Call me ASAP if you need any help, got it?'_

_'No problem, thanks.'_

__Putting his phone down, he changed into his t-shirt and boxers and called out to Lucas.

"You giving birth in there or what?"

"...Shut up, Ethan," came the less than enthusiastic reply.

Ethan merely rolled his eyes and lay back in bed, studying their route for tomorrow morning.

To say he was nervous would be an understatement at this point. Everything he'd been forced to do up to this moment had led to this. They'd either make it to Montana in one piece or die trying. Ethan knew it was terrible but right now he was more than willing to throw Lucas under the bus for the chance to get out alive. He just wanted to be back with Mia again so they could straighten everything out between them. Whether Lucas had truly taken that needle for him or not was irrelevant to him. The man had done so many awful things in his life that one tiny moment of selflessness wasn't going to be near enough for his salvation. If he tried anything in the car tomorrow, Ethan would be ready and willing to empty an entire clip into his face.

He glanced over at the bathroom door. It had been twenty minutes since Lucas had gone in.

"You'd better not be changing into one of those fucking moldy psychopaths," he called, "Get out here and eat your soup!"

There was a long pause before the door was finally opened and the walking corpse himself appeared. He leaned heavily in the doorway, his head lowered and his eyes glaring at Ethan. Half his face was hidden in shadow, and when he finally staggered forward into the room he did so in an odd, sideways shuffle.

Ethan was a bit disturbed at his strange behavior, "Soup's on the nightstand... You okay, man?"

"M'fine..." Lucas mumbled, crawling awkwardly into bed and refusing to turn toward him. He grabbed his bowl with his right hand and loudly sipped at it.

The young engineer side-eyed him for a moment before questioning him once more, "You sure you're alright? You're already acting weird."

Lucas remained looking down at his soup. He refused to turn his head toward Ethan.

"Said I'm _fine,_ Ethan... Ain't gonna change overnight, _relax._ "

"Alright then," Ethan sighed, shutting off his phone and switching off the lamp on his side of the room, "Just remember, I do have morphine and bandages in my bag so if you start to feel sick or hurt, _tell me._ I'd much rather you woke me up than have you change into some fungus demon from hell right here in our hotel room, got it?"

Not waiting for a response, he turned his back on the other man and went to sleep.

Lucas looked over at him to make sure he was facing the other way before finishing his late-night dinner. Ethan had ordered him a simple bowl of vegetable soup, but already it was beginning to warm him up again. He slurped the rest of it down and set his empty bowl back on the bedside table, pulling his blankets over his lap and staring down at the pattern. The odd floral spirals seemed to move on their own the longer he tried to focus on them.

Squeezing his eyes shut against a wave of dizziness that swept over him, he dropped his face into his hands and slowly exhaled. The ever-present dull ache in his body was slowly rising in intensity. Pain began to throb in his face and arm again. The urge to vomit was getting stronger as his stomach turned violently and his head felt as though it would split in two.

Remembering Ethan's offer, he weakly looked over toward him. He wasn't sure he'd make it through the night at this rate. He didn't want to upset the other man any further, but...

It was a loud groan from his sick stomach that got him out of bed and across the room to where Ethan slept.

Standing over the young man he'd quickly become infatuated with, his thoughts drifted back to the first time they'd met. That pretty face at the table stood out like a bright ray of sunshine in the otherwise dark and gloomy room. He was so clean, so fresh and new... It were as though his innocence itself had an aura all its own. And when he opened his eyes...

Lucas took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He remembered picking on the boy; throwing food at him, insulting him just to get his attention. He wanted those pretty dark eyes focused only on him. Something about Ethan radiated warmth and understanding. Lucas was frustrated at his increased heart rate and the wild emotions he was making him feel. He knew just what it was at the time but he didn't want to admit it. He'd never entertain the thought of someone returning his feelings because he knew it just wasn't possible. Pursuing love at this point in his life would only end in yet another heartbreak, he was sure of it.

Ethan was straight, Ethan was married, Ethan was just fucking _perfect,_ and it made him sick.

So he teased and tormented the kid, deciding ultimately just to kill him instead and be done with it. He was just like all the others after all; Eveline's plaything and nothing more. He'd toy with Ethan a bit before leading him into a deathtrap, just like that pretty girl his Dad had given him. Just like Clancy, Hoffman, and all the rest. He was just another body for the pile.

Only things didn't quite turn out as he'd originally planned, and Lucas found that he was grateful for it.

The mattress dipped down as he sat on the edge of Ethan's bed. He looked down at him as he slept and lightly brushed the back of his knuckles across his cheek. His crush on Ethan had developed into a deep affection in the short time they'd spent together. Very cautiously he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his lips with what was left of his human mouth, drawing back instantly when Ethan stirred in his sleep.

"Ethan..." he whispered, "Hey, c'mon buddy, wake up... I gotta talk to ya."

Ethan blinked and jumped a bit when he saw the familiar figure draped in shadow slouched on his bed. Lucas was staring out the window with his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"...What's up?" Ethan ventured nervously.

Lucas merely sighed, not taking his eyes from the window. Eventually he tilted his head down at his lap and spoke in a low voice, "Ethan... Sorry man, I'm hurtin' _bad_ ," he swallowed, "Ya got any'a that morphine?"

Ethan stared at him for a moment before reaching over the side of his bed to rummage into his bag. He filled the needle and quietly asked for Lucas' arm.

The other man quickly reached over and snatched it from him, jabbing the needle into his left arm and gritting his teeth against the pain. Ethan wasn't positive but he thought that he saw two of Lucas' fingers fused together on his right hand.

He recoiled in horror when the Baker son turned to look at him. His left eye was now a milky white orb bulging out of the side of his head, and his mouth was twisted back toward what was left of his ear. He resembled something from out of a nightmare circus sideshow. Thick, ropy veins were beginning to spread across his body and seemed to add to its mass.

This must have been what Lucas had been hiding from him earlier that night.

Lucas' heart sank when he saw the terrified disgust on Ethan's face, though he couldn't say he was the least bit surprised. He attempted to calm the other man when the pain had subsided, only to scare him out of his bed and across the room. When he looked over he saw what had made him bolt; His entire left arm had almost completely mutated into a shapeless mass of mold and veins. He whipped his head back up to look at Ethan and saw the young man creeping toward the door.

" _No,_ Ethan!"

Instinctively he lunged at him, his powerful legs sending him over both beds and across the room in the blink of an eye. He slammed directly into his target, crushing him against the wall and covering his mouth with his slimy hand. Nose-to-nose with the the terrified man, he looked down at him and gently shushed him until his struggling finally subsided.

"Shhhh, Ethan... It's okay, it's alright, just relax..." he spoke in a quiet singsong voice, "I ain't gonna hurt you... I know, I _know_ what I look like right now, okay?" He shook his head as hot tears began to prick at his eyes again, "Ya gotta believe me, man, I _ain't_ gonna hurt you!"

Ethan's chest was heaving as he desperately tried to get his breath back under control. Panic had completely taken over and he found himself trembling violently in Lucas' icy grip. The incidents back in Dulvey had come flooding back to him and his fight or flight instincts were at the forefront of his mind. Lucas' horrifying, twisted face seemed as though it would split open and crush his head in its gaping maw at any moment.

It wasn't until he finally looked up into the somewhat human half of the Baker son's face that he saw the raw fear and helplessness in that one remaining pale blue eye. He was just as scared as Ethan was.

With effort he managed to collect himself and began to think clearly again. Cautiously he brought his fingers up to Lucas' cold, damp hand and pried it away from his mouth. Lucas didn't protest as he allowed the other man to push him away and stand back up.

"We need to leave... _now,_ " Ethan muttered.

Lucas watched as he crossed the room again and started dressing without another word. Even with the morphine in his system he could feel bursts of pain here and there as his body continued to mutate. Deciding to stay there on the floor so as not to frighten the other man further, he turned and leaned his back against the wall by the door as he observed Ethan's anxious, jerky movements.

The other man had dressed and was now stuffing as much as he could back into his bag. He dug out his phone and immediately dialed Zoe.

There were three rings before Zoe finally answered. Ethan tried to keep the panic from his voice as he glanced up at the frightening man slumped against wall across from him.

"Zoe? It's Ethan... Look, I don't know how to say this but we need to get out of here, right now."

" _Ethan? What happened? Is it Lucas?!_ "

"Yeah... He's starting to mutate."

" _Shit!_ _Alright, lemme grab Dave an' we'll meet you in the hall._ "

"Gotcha, see you soon."

Ethan hung up and looked across at Lucas. The other man was gazing straight back at him with an oddly relaxed expression on his face.

"Comin' to kill me, is she?" he drawled.

Ethan pulled his bag over his shoulder and scanned the room for anything he could be forgetting. Cautiously, he approached Lucas' bed and began to gather his things, disgust written all over his face as he picked up the sticky screwdriver with one of Lucas' socks and tossed both of them into the other bag, along with his phone and laptop.

"I doubt we even _could_ kill you at this point. Your parents already gave me one hell of a fight. I'd rather not go through that again, especially in a hotel at three in the morning."

Lucas hiccuped and leaned his head back against the wall, still gazing dreamily at Ethan as he collected his things.

"Ethan..." he spoke softly, "I- I wanna tell ya somethin'."

The other man didn't even glance in his direction as he busied himself with his cleaning.

"Hey! You listenin', boy? I said I got somethin' I wanna say to you!"

Ethan irritably huffed and looked over at him. Lucas watched him for several seconds before finally opening his mouth again, his voice barely audible, "I... I think I love-"

A sharp rapping at the door cut him off and both men whirled their heads toward it.

" _It's just me, open up._ "

The familiar voice of Zoe was heaven to Ethan's ears just then, though as he crossed the room to unlock the door he could see Lucas had a fierce scowl on his face. It was just as well. Ethan had a pretty good idea of what he was about to tell him and he really didn't want to hear it. _Ever._

"Hey, come on in. I was just getting the last of our stuff."

As soon as Zoe and Dave stepped through the door, Zoe glanced down at Lucas and jumped in shock.

"Jesus fuckin' _Christ,_ Lucas!"

Dave was visibly nervous and he made almost no effort to hide the fact that he was slowly making his way around to stand behind the young woman.

Zoe stood there wide-eyed, her hands covering her mouth as she slowly shook her head.

"Oh my god... It's just like Daddy..."

"Yeah, an' you're just as pretty first thing in the mornin' too, _Zoe,_ " Lucas spat.

"Alright, that's enough you two. We need to get out of here as soon as possible," Ethan cut in, "Zoe? If we leave now is it going to interfere with the plan or are we still good?"

Zoe was still looking down in shock at her older brother, but she nodded before speaking in a wavering voice, "Yeah... We can go at any time."

The siblings were still locked in a silent stare down as Ethan made his way around them to grab Lucas' bag and do a final room check.

"How are we going to get him out of here?" Dave finally spoke up, "He's not exactly inconspicuous..."

Ethan looked down at Lucas who merely glanced at Dave over Zoe's shoulder before going right back to scowling at his sister. Ethan merely shrugged as he added the extra burden of Lucas' bag to his load.

"I mean, it's three AM, there's not many people around right at the moment..." Thinking quickly he turned to Zoe, "Do you think you could scout ahead for us while Dave checks us out early?"

Zoe finally broke eye-contact with her brother and nodded, "Good thinkin', hon," she stepped closer and whispered in Ethan's ear, " _You keep a close eye on him, y'hear? He's a fuckin' viper..._ "

"'The hell kinda lies you tellin' him, Zoe?!" Lucas snapped after her, "Ethan ain't that fuckin' stupid!"

"Quiet down," hissed Ethan, "We need to get you out of here with as little a scene as possible, got it?" He watched as the other man fumbled a bit trying to get to his feet. Reluctantly, he offered his hand for support, "You okay? Need some help?"

His hand went ignored as Lucas staggered upright and grumbled, "M'fine..." Ethan noticed that his speech was slurring pretty badly. He also noticed that he'd grown considerably in size. He was always a couple of inches taller than Ethan but now he towered almost a head and a half over him. If he kept growing at this rate he wouldn't be able to fit in the car.

Lucas looked down at his feet and groaned miserably, "Aww _shit,_ Ethan... How the hell am I s'pposta get dressed?!" 

Ethan looked down and immediately noticed what he was complaining about. There was no way his feet would ever fit back into his shoes, and his sleep pants already looked like high-waters on him. The fingers on his right hand had almost completely fused together at this point and his arm was visibly longer.

Forget the car, they were going to have a hell of a time just trying to get this man through the door if they didn't hurry...

Zoe had returned quickly, informing them that the coast was clear. They would need to make their move now if they were to go undetected. Ethan took a deep breath and hoisted both he and Lucas' bags over his shoulder.

"Okay guys, everyone ready?"

The mutual anxiety-ridden silence told him everything he needed to know. Without another word they slipped out the door with Zoe in the lead and Dave tailing behind to watch their backs.

Ethan swore he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He was terrified. If even one person caught sight of Lucas they'd be dead in the water.

By the time they'd made it to the parking lot Ethan felt as though he'd pass out. The blood rushing to his head from the combined raw fear and adrenaline was enough to make him dizzy. Dave had stuck around long enough to make sure they got to the car okay before heading back to the hotel to finish cleaning up. He had brought along some special chemicals Tentsu had provided his group prior to their disbanding that could cut through the infectious mold and erase all traces of it. He needed to clean Lucas and Ethan's bathroom as well as launder their bedding. By the time he was finished he'd get them all checked out and disappear like a wraith in the night.

Both Ethan and Zoe had struggled to get Lucas crammed into Ethan's already tiny car, with Lucas bitching the entire time that Ethan needed an SUV 'like everyone else'. Frustrated, Zoe slammed the door on him and put her middle finger in his face through his window.

By the time Zoe had given him his final instructions and bid him goodbye, Ethan's head was throbbing. He was not looking forward to the final stretch of their journey as it was sure to be incredibly dangerous, but the thought of Mia drove him forward. He'd gone through hell just for the chance of seeing her once before, he'd easily do it again.

With a deep breath he started the engine and pulled out of the safety of the hotel parking lot, driving forward into the darkness with Zoe following not far behind...

\---------------------------------------

Driving along in silence, Lucas and Ethan could only stare at the road ahead, fearful of who might be waiting out there for them. Neither of them had even bothered with the radio, though the long stretch of quiet was enough to get Lucas to try talking again.

Swallowing thickly, he made a half-hearted attempt at a conversation.

"...How old are ya, Ethan?" he croaked.

Blinking in surprise at how haggard the other man's voice was, Ethan glanced over at him. He was leaning his head against his window and staring out at the dark highway in front of them, but for a second it almost sounded like he had two voices...

"Thirty-three... You?"

There was a long pause before the Baker son finally spoke again.

"...Bull _shit_ , boy. Ya look like you're _maybe_ twenty-two, if that..." There was another pause before he answered; "I'm twenty-five. I know I look a hell of a lot older'n that, ya ain't gotta rub it in..."

Ethan merely shook his head, "I never said a word." In truth, Ethan was surprised to hear that Lucas was that young. He looked to be well into his thirties, though he knew better than to admit it out loud.

His thoughts were interrupted by Lucas' wet coughing, and when he turned to look at him he gasped in shock.

Lucas was looking right back at him with a twisted smile on his face, though he didn't need to turn to do so; Another face seemed to be growing out of the right side of his head.

"I got me a _splittin'_ headache, Ethan~" he slurred, his voice projecting in two.

Ethan gave a subdued cry of fear and tried desperately to concentrate on the road ahead of them. Despite the pain and mutation he was experiencing at the moment, Lucas still managed to make such a stupid pun...

"What's the matter, Ethan? You scared, boy?" Lucas adjusted himself uncomfortably in his seat, "Ya know I could probably suck your dick an' eat your wife out at the same time!" He tossed his head back and cackled wickedly.

"Jesus god, you _sick fuck!!_ " Ethan screamed at him.

Behind them Ethan thought he could hear Zoe honking her horn, but he was distracted once again by something cold and slimy wrapping itself around his neck. Looking down he saw a long, slithering piece of black and grey flesh moving across his chest and petting the back of his hair.

"What the _fuck?!_ "

"Ever heard'a tentacle porn, Ethan?" Lucas' voice was horribly slurred at this point, though it seemed one face was speaking a bit more clearly than the other.

Ethan was about to pull over and shoot the other man dead when he caught sight of Zoe's high beams flashing in his rear-view mirror. His phone was buzzing like crazy in his bag on the floor by Lucas' feet, but just as he tried to grab it there was a loud whirring noise overhead. Even Lucas fell into a terrified silence, and he quickly pulled his tentacle arm away from Ethan's neck to look around.

Ethan stopped the car when the unmistakable sound of a military chopper hovered over them. Zoe was shouting something from her window when a flash of bright white light surrounded them, and the next thing he knew they were being shot at from all sides.


End file.
